Code Name: Mockingbird
by jayma
Summary: Bobbi Morse has been recruited as a researcher for S.H.I.E.L.D. and when her life is threatened by A.I.M. a certain Avenger is assigned the task to protect her.
1. Chapter 1: Recruited

**Summary**: Bobbi Morse has been recruited as a researcher for S.H.I.E.L.D. and when her life is threatened by A.I.M. a certain Avenger is assigned the task to protect her.

**Author's Note**: I decided to write an "origin" story for Bobbi Morse in the movie verse. I'm hoping this will eventually lead to a sequel that will be an origin story for Clint Barton. I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter One: Recruited**

"Congratulations, Class of 2008!" announced the president of Georgia Institute of Technology. A few graduation caps flew up into the air as the crowd roared with applause.

Bobbi Morse cheered along with her classmates when someone gently tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to see her favorite biochemistry professor and friend, "Professor Calvin!" she said excitedly.

The two women hugged. "Celebrating with family tonight?" she asked as some confetti shot through the air.

Bobbi gave her a small smile and shook her head, "No, not really."

The professor nodded and admired the diploma in Bobbi's hands instead, "How does it feel to finally have a Ph.D. in biochemistry?"

The young woman's smile grew wider at the acknowledgement of her recent accomplishment, "This baby is going right up on my wall!" she said as they walked up the aisle of the booming stadium and into the open terrace outside.

"Do you know what you're going to do now?" the professor asked as they sat on a nearby bench.

"You know I was thinking..." Bobbi started off happily and then shook her head, "I actually have no idea what the hell I'm going to do," she laughed. She took off her graduation cap and ran a hand through her blonde hair.

"I know what that's like, believe me," Professor Calvin responded as a few men in black suits walked towards them, "The only piece of advice I can give you is to always go where your heart wants to go."

"Easier said than done," Bobbi muttered under her breath before her teacher stood up. She followed suit as the men approached them.

"Barbara Morse?" said the middle man in his mid 30s. He took off his sunglasses and placed them in the inside pocket of his suit jacket.

"Who wants to know?" Bobbi responded and the man smirked.

"Bobbi, this is Agent Phil Coulson," Professor Calvin said as she patted his shoulder, "I called them in to talk to you."

"Talk to me? About what?" Bobbi asked, confusion written across her face.

"A potential job prospect," Coulson said and the man behind him presented her with a file.

Bobbi took it and read the name of the seal out loud, "Strategic Homeland Intervention..."

"S.H.I.E.L.D.," both Professor Calvin and Coulson offered as a substitute.

Bobbi flipped through the pages of the folder. A variety of things popped out at her: Bruce Banner, gamma radiation, World War II, Steve Rogers, super-soldiers. Bobbi closed the folder and matched Coulson's smirk, "I'm listening."


	2. Chapter 2: Choices

**Summary**: Bobbi Morse has been recruited as a researcher for S.H.I.E.L.D. and when her life is threatened by A.I.M. a certain Avenger is assigned the task to protect her.

**Author's Note**: I realize that yesterday's chapter was really short, so here's a slightly longer chapter. I'm obviously not following what has been done in the comics, but I am taking a few elements and molding them for myself. Enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!

* * *

**Chapter Two: Choices**

_**Six Months Prior to Graduation, Georgia Tech Campus**__  
_  
The clock tower bells pierced through the night air and this alerted the librarian to do her daily routine strolls through the stacks to pick up stray books and push in chairs. Upon reaching the last floor, she noticed a woman sitting in the middle of the aisle with several books strewn around her. The librarian inwardly sighed at the sight before her and scratched her throat out loud, "Mam, the library is about to close." The librarian noticed a variety of colored post-its tagging different passages and formulas throughout the books and immediately recognized the young woman as a graduate student.

Pen in mouth, Bobbi looked up from the book she was currently reading and turned to her watch, which sat on one of the bookshelves.

"Seriously?" Bobbi said as she stood up and swayed slightly, "There's no chance of me sleeping over, is there?"

The librarian shook her head and Bobbi inwardly cursed. She gathered up the reference books into a large pile and followed the librarian to the hold shelf, where she left them behind and gently whispered good night to the spines. The librarian laughed and Bobbi smiled back before made her way down the stairs and out of the empty library.

The night was eerily calm for December. She zipped up her jacket nevertheless and made her way through the serene campus to the apartments outside of the college campus.

She lost herself in a series of science-based thoughts along the way and was halfway home when she felt someone following her. She stopped abruptly and so did the figure behind her.

"If this is your way of intimidating me, then you've got the wrong girl," she said confidently as she turned around to see the none other than the guest lecturer that came to her class earlier that day.

"Dr. Sallis, what are you doing here?" Bobbi asked. Theodore Sallis was a professor of biochemistry at Empire State University with degrees in mathematics and engineering. Doctor or not, she clenched her fists within her pockets ready to knock the lights out of him, but she waited for his response.

"Barbara Morse, correct? I hear very great things about you from the faculty," he said calmly, but Bobbi continued to keep her guard up.

"I hear many not-so-great things about you though. Your insane lab experiments make headlines every other week. It's a miracle Empire State still has you on their payroll," she said and started to walk away.

"I have a proposition for you," he said with a smirk. Bobbi stopped in her tracks. She turned around to face, but he was already seated at a nearby bench in front of the science building. He paused and waited for her to sit in the space beside him.

She walked closer, but continued to stand, "A proposition at 11 o'clock at night?"

"I had to attend to my insane laboratory experiments," he mocked her and chuckled lightly, "You're the brightest student in your class, but if you're not interested-"

"I didn't say that," Bobbi interrupted him and hesitated slightly before she sat down on the bench, "What are you proposing?"

"Most people are unaware of my position as leader of a science and research organization based in different locations throughout the country," he said as he pulled out his wallet.

"Why would you keep that off your CV?" she asked as she followed his hands. He pulled out a white card from his wallet and he shuffled it between his fingers.

"Some things are best left hidden," he smiled and presented the card to her, "With this moment being an exception."

Bobbi looked down at the bright white card and he motioned it to her again. She pulled out her hand and hesitantly took the card, which was actually made of plastic with the letters A.I.M. imprinted at the center.

"Advanced Idea Mechanics. We have a rigorous recruitment program and you'll be the perfect candidate."

Bobbi bit her lip and shook her head, "What's the catch?" she said as she placed it in the empty space between them.

"Follow regulations, conduct research and experiments," Bobbi narrowed her eyes at him, "_Humane_ experiments. Come in for orientation and you'll find out more."

Her eyes fell on the card and she shook her head again, "I'm in the middle of writing my dissertation. Thank you for the offer, but-"

"The joy about this program is that in addition to being trained by A.I.M. you'll also be working on your dissertation with state of the art equipment. The real work won't start until you graduate," he smiled and stood up from his seat.

"Just think about it and if you're interested just slide your thumb over the name on the card. That will activate a sensor and a dispatch will be sent out to pick you up for orientation," he said as he offered his hand.

Bobbi followed suit and shook his hand. A pair of headlights appeared in the parking lot nearby and she turned to see a black SUV pull in. He made his way over to it and a woman in a black suit stepped out to open the door for him. Before he got in, he turned and addressed her again, "And if it's any incentive, you'll be paid to work on your dissertation. Last time I checked, student loans are a bitch to pay off."

Dr. Sallis got in and drove off. Bobbi sat back down on the bench and rubbed her eyes to wake up from what she thought was obviously a dream. The card still sat on the space beside her, however. She sighed and was about to toss it into the trash can beside her when she remembered that the rent was due next week and her part-time waitress gig wasn't going to cut it.

She normally turned to her magic eight ball for assistance, but she broke it in an attempt to make it say yes the last time she asked it a question.

"What to do, Bobbi? What to do?" she said aloud as she twirled the card in her hand.

_**Six Months After Graduation, NYC Facilit**_**y**_** in Brooklyn**_

"Starting Test #17. Applying prototype serum to blood sample," Bobbi spoke to the recorder that rested on the table next to her equipment.

"Sample is reacting to prototype serum," she continued and examined the slide through a microscope. The blood cells shriveled up and Bobbi sighed in defeat.

"Test #17 is unsuccessful. If used on a test subject, the patient would suffer and eventually die from prolonged hemorrhaging. How did Dr. Erskine do it right all those years ago? I have no freaking idea," Bobbi said as flipped through an old World War II file.

She stopped the recording, rubbed the sleep away from her face, and stretched out in her chair. Her eyes quickly glanced over the camera situated in the corner of the room. She cleared her desk of the unsuccessful remains of Test #17 and made her way over to the door of the lab.

A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent stopped her on her way out, "Relax, going to the ladies room," she said with her hands buried in her lab coat. He let her pass and she made her way to the restroom.

Back in the lab, the worker behind the camera stood up and walked over to a glass-walled office, where Nick Fury sat at a desk with piles of paperwork, "Sir, she's on the move again."

Fury signed off on a few forms and made no effort to lift his head as he spoke, "Assemble a few men and meet me down by her lab in 2 minutes."

"Yes, sir," he said.

"I have to admit the code she was using was hard to break. I didn't think their technology was that advanced," Coulson said as he walked in to his office.

"The word 'advanced' is in their name. It was only a matter of time before we caught it," Fury responded with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"This isn't looking good for her, is it?"

"I'll let you know in ten minutes," Fury said as he left the paperwork behind and walked out of the office.

Bobbi hid her phone back in her pocket and rounded the corner when she stopped at the sight of a hoard of agents in front of her lab door.

"Are you guys trying to throw me a surprise party or something?" she asked as Fury emerged from the group.

"Dr. Morse, I'll have to ask you to postpone your work until further notice and to submit to an interrogation regarding your suspicious activity outside of this lab," he said as a handful of men and women surrounded her.

Bobbi counted four on her left and five on her right, "So, that's a no to the surprise party, then?" she replied as an agent stepped forward on her left to apprehend her. Bobbi, however, grabbed the agent's wrist, twisted his arm behind him, and yelled out in pain.

Another agent stepped forward on her right, but she kicked him on the knee and he buckled onto the floor. She jumped onto his back and sprung herself over the rest of her attackers. Bobbi ran back down the hall and momentarily paused to swiftly apply low punches to her immediate pursuers. She then lower kicked the remaining agents onto the floor.

She stood up to see her opponents writhing on the floor in pain when something flashed past her and pinned her to the wall. An arrow. She removed her lab coat and pushed herself through an exit door nearby and out onto the alley. The alarm went off and she thought she was in the clear when a net stopped her in her tracks. She fell onto the wet floor and looked back at the exit door, but no one was there.

She heard a whistle followed by, "Up here." A man armed with a recurve bow released the ladder of the fire escape and slid down onto the ground.

"You're quick, I'll give you that," he said as he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back up.

Bobbi started laughing and the man's expression went from satisfaction to confusion, "What's so funny?" he asked as he removed the net and fastened her wrists together with a plastic tie.

"I just wanted to see how far I got and the fact that I made out the building says a lot, but I don't need your help from here, sport. I just did this for fun," she said with a wink.

She removed herself from his grasp, walked back up to the exit door, turned around, and with her tied hands she punched in her identification number without looking. She gave him another wink before the door opened and she walked back in.

"What the hell just happened?"


	3. Chapter 3: Interrogation

**Summary**: Bobbi Morse has been recruited as a researcher for S.H.I.E.L.D. and when her life is threatened by A.I.M. a certain Avenger is assigned the task to protect her.

**Author's Note**: I'm not following what has been done in the comics, but I am taking a few elements and molding them for myself. Thank you for the lovely reviews! Enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!

* * *

**Chapter Three: Interrogation**

_**1 Month Prior to Graduation, Private Facility in Atlanta, Georgia**_

"Again!" the physical instructor shouted at Bobbi whose face met with the floor during a routine training session. Bobbi spat out some blood and pushed herself back onto her knees. She took a few moments to take her breath, but her instructor grew impatient and stepped closer to pull back on Bobbi's hair. She cried out in pain and in a mixture of anger and frustration-more frustration since she was one chapter away from finishing her dissertation-Bobbi elbowed her instructor in the groin. He doubled over and with both arms she grabbed him by the neck and flipped him onto his back.

She pulled on the string if his hoodie, turned him over onto his stomach, and restrained his arms behind him. She finally grabbed his hair and pulled his head back, "No one touches my hair," she said and slammed his head back onto the mat.

A pair of hands clapped in the background and Bobbi stood up to see Dr. Sallis approach her, "Well done, Barbara," he said as he gently grabbed her chin to observe her bleeding lip.

"I do not appreciate the bruises, Sheppard," he addressed the beaten instructor in the floor.

Bobbi stepped back slightly and pretended to tend to her wound. To be honest, she felt uncomfortable whenever he touched her, which was a habit he started to develop when she signed on to the program. He was attractive for a man in his mid-30s, but he wasn't her type.

"Barbara, may I have a word?" he said as he stepped outside of the mat to a secluded corner. Bobbi rolled her eyes when he wasn't looking and she delayed the talk a few moments to disentangle her instructor.

"What would you like to talk about?" she asked as she walked over to him.

"Congratulations on how far along you've gotten with your dissertation," he replied.

She nodded in response, "Thanks to the resources given to me."

"Yes, well, I'm sure you're looking forward to your first assignment post-graduation?" he asked as he pulled out a mobile device from his pocket.

"Very much so. Are you going to give me a preview?" she asked as he offered her the device.

"Something like that," he said as he tapped on the screen. A slide show presentation started and the first picture she saw was that of a man in a black suit leaving a car.

"His name is Phil Coulson and he will approach you about a job proposition on the day of your graduation," he said and tapped on the screen again.

The next image was that of an eagle in a seal, "He works for an organization called S.H.I.E.L.D. You could say they're a rival organization."

Bobbi laughed lightly, "And what do you want me to do? Seduce him?"

"I want you to say yes to whatever he offers you and I want you to communicate back any information that may be vital for us," he said with an authoritative tone, which she was unsure whether to question, but she did anyway.

"You want me to spy for you? I didn't exactly sign up for that," she said and gave him back the device, "I'll be waiting for an actual research-based assignment."

Bobbi started to walk away when he spoke out, "With our strict guidelines, you've had to work on your dissertation solely on our computers, so don't forget that a majority of your dissertation research primarily exists on my servers. You might wake up one day and find it all gone."

Bobbi stopped and her ears burned with the possibility, "You wouldn't dare."

"I dared to go against all odds my entire life. Why would this be any different?" he said as he walked past her and exited the room.

_**NYC Facility in Brooklyn**_

Bobbi sat restrained to a chair in the middle of a bright lit room. The top half of the walls that surrounded her were made of two-way mirrors. The camera in the corner would occasionally zoom in and out.

"What's her play?" the archer asked as he observed her from behind the mirrors.

"Barton, aren't you supposed to be prepping for your next mission?" Nick Fury said as he brought up Bobbi's profile on the flat screens along one of the walls in the room.

"Postponed till next month. You signed off on it, remember?" he said as he folded his bow and latched it onto his side.

"I signed off on it?" Fury directed his attention to Coulson.

"Yes you did, sir," he replied with a firm nod, "We even made fun of him for his reason of postponement."

"Oh that's right, your baby is out of use," Fury smirked and shook his head.

"I can't go anywhere without my hover-bike, so sue me," Clint responded and crossed his arms.

Coulson chuckled and nodded over to Bobbi, "What are we going to do with her?"

"She's A.I.M. What good is she to us? She's not gonna say anything," Clint said as he leaned against the glass.

"Her knowledge in biochemistry is a vital asset and I personally don't want to see that go to waste," Coulson replied as he used a control to highlight her credentials.

"Slackin' on the background checks, Phil? You're the one recruited her after all. What? D'ya have a crush on her?" Clint smirked and Fury rolled his eye in response.

"Slacking on the security training, Clint? Because she managed to make your men look like-"

"Hello?" Bobbi spoke out from the adjacent room, "I'm seriously bored right now. Can I at least get the Sudoku section from today's newspaper?" She waited for a response then dropped her head in defeat.

A knock sounded on their door and Fury went to answer it. He came back with Bobbi's phone, which was retrieved from her lab coat.

"Gentlemen, stay here and for the love of God, stop bickering," Fury ordered them as he left and reappeared in the next room with Bobbi.

"Dr. Morse," Fury said as he placed the phone on the table in front of her.

"Director Fury," she responded with a simple nod.

"Care to explain yourself?" he asked as he sat down across from her.

"Yes," she said as she straightened up in her chair and swallowed hard, "But first, I missed my lunch break," she said and then turned to one of the mirrors, "Coulson, my salad is in the mini-fridge towards the back of my lab. Thanks, you're one in a mil."

Fury raised his eyebrows at her request and nodded for Coulson to do as she asked. Clint burst out laughing before Coulson hesitantly left the room.

After Bobbi finished her salad in an awkward silence that involved a stare down with Fury, she pushed the container aside and settled back in her seat.

"You have nothing to worry about, you know," Bobbi said as she folded her free hands on her lap.

"And why's that? Your actions have led me to believe otherwise," Fury replied as he pointed to her phone. He then took it and cracked it open to reveal another screen with a USB port, "Why should I believe you?"

"Because I haven't told them anything. _A.I.M_. I haven't told them a thing. Whatever information I've been giving them has been completely false," she admitted.

"And I'm supposed to take your word on it?" Fury asked as he shifted in his seat.

"Have you decoded my last message to them yet?" Bobbi replied and chuckled at the silence that followed. She had a knack for encrypting her voice messages to A.I.M. and she enjoyed the fact that it took Coulson and his band of computer geeks weeks to decrypt them.

She grabbed the device at the center of the table and started typing a series of codes to retrieve her last message. She then placed the device back at the center of the table and waited for it to play her audio file.

"Test #17 was unsuccessful. To avoid contamination and mitigate distraction, Director Fury is relocating my experiment to a warehouse in Brooklyn, where I will continue to develop the super-soldier serum in secret. I will report back when I acquire further information..."

The sound file ended and it didn't take long for Fury to stretch out his hand to her. Bobbi hesitated slightly as the moment reminded her of shaking Dr. Sallis's hand that night at Georgia Tech. She lifted her hand nevertheless and shook it firmly.

"I want to take down A.I.M. as much as you do. They're a terrorist organization and by the time I realized what I had gotten myself into, it was too late for me to back out. So, are you going to put me in that warehouse or not?" Bobbi demanded as she crossed her arms about her chest.

"I put you in that warehouse and then what? What's your play?" Fury asked as he leaned forward on the table.

"Infiltrate A.I.M. and hit them hard," she said as she pulled out an object from the inner side of her boot and slammed it on the table.

"Did she just put a C4 explosive on the table?" Coulson asked as he motioned his men to move in.

"She's my type of girl," Clint whispered as some of the armed men burst through the door.

Fury held up his hand to stop them, "On two conditions," he said and lifted up one finger, "First, you'll let me know the details of the operation."

"Done," Bobbi responded with a smile.

Fury then raised another finger, "Second, Barton will be your backup."

"What?" Both Bobbi and Clint yelled simultaneously. Clint ran out, entered the interrogation room, and pushed through some the agents.

"Sir, I can handle myself," Bobbi explained as she stood up from her seat.

"Seriously, boss?" Clint walked around the table to face him.

"She's going to need the backup. I need you to be her eyes and ears." Clint was about to argue when Fury lifted a firm eyebrow at him. Clint closed his mouth and groaned.

Fury and the rest of the agents left the room and left behind an annoyed archer and an amused doctor, "You know what, I actually don't mind. It'll be good experience for you, sport," Bobbi said as she slapped him on the arm and followed everyone else out the room.

"Stop calling me that!"


	4. Chapter 4: The Gym

**Summary**: Bobbi Morse has been recruited as a researcher for S.H.I.E.L.D. and when her life is threatened by A.I.M. a certain Avenger is assigned the task to protect her.

**Author's Note**: First, thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited this story! Second, my sincerest apologies. This chapter is long overdue. I promise the next update won't take as long! So, as a reminder, I'm not following what has been done in the comics, but I am taking a few elements and molding them for myself. Enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!

* * *

**Chapter Four: The Gym**

**Three Months after Graduation, Under the Brooklyn Bridge**

It was six o'clock in the morning and Bobbi paced back and forth in anticipation. She walked the small park area beneath the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge and occasionally looked down at the phone in her hand. The phone remained silent. She let out a frustrated growl and wondered what could be taking her old professor so long. In these short few months she had already grown tired of leading a double life as an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. and for A.I.M. She needed to tell someone and Professor Wilma Calvin from her graduate school was visiting the city for a conference. Bobbi made contact and suggested a time and place to meet. Her professor was now 30 minutes late.

Bobbi finally sat down at a nearby bench and rested her head back to stare at the early morning sky. At times she figured she really shouldn't complain. The paychecks from both A.I.M. and S.H.I.E.L.D. had sharply decreased the balance of her student loans, which was rare for a recent grad to accomplish. She was also thankful to be working for two organizations since most of her friends from college and grad school were still unemployed. But, then there were the lies, the tiptoeing around people who trusted her, and the constant balancing acts on thin ice. The double life made it hard to sleep at night, so she often walked the Brooklyn Bridge and back to calm her nerves.

A.I.M. had no morals, but the scientific breakthroughs were enough to turn any decent person into a cold vessel with the sole purpose to advance further even if good people got hurt. S.H.I.E.L.D. had its own secrets, but Bobbi felt she had more purpose with Fury than she did with Sallis. Every time she reported the latest S.H.I.E.L.D. developments to Sallis, she left his office with a guilty conscience.

So, she called her professor despite A.I.M. regulation, which forbade contact with relatives and friends. _Unnecessary distractions_, Sallis called them. So, she waited and waited until the sun rose up through the New York City skyline in front of her.

She eventually looked down at her phone again.

"She's not going to call," a voice called out to her. She looked up to see Sallis approach her from the edge of the sidewalk closest to the river. He sat on the other end of the bench, folded his hands on his lap, and observed the sun rise with her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bobbi said as she pocketed the phone.

He laughed quietly, "Don't play games with me, Barbara," he replied as he dug his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a phone. He placed it in the space in between them, "I told you about unnecessary distractions."

Bobbi bit her lip as she looked down at the phone. It had a cracked screen with traces of bloody prints. Bobbi felt dread completely wash over her. She blinked back the tears and looked up to focus on the horizon.

"No one can know what you do. Otherwise, you become a liability to A.I.M. and you know what we do to agents who talk," he said as he took the phone back and placed it back into his pocket.

Bobbi swallowed hard and locked her jaw, "Message received," she replied, her voice full of disdain. She stood up and clenched her hands inside her jacket pockets.

"I really hope this doesn't happen again, Barbara. You know how I don't like to get my hands dirty," he said nonchalantly. Bobbi's anger flared. She turned around swiftly and pulled him up by the collar of his jacket.

"She was my best friend, you bastard!" she said as tears escaped the corners of her eyes. A few bystanders raised their eyebrows at them and whispered words of curiosity to each other, but continued on their way.

"Next time think before you act and people live!" he hissed with as much fervor. Bobbi's knuckles had turned white before she finally let go.

"Words to live by," she said rather calmly and with a firm nod. He straightened his jacket and took a step back.

She made the motion to turn, but backtracked to punch him square on the face. He landed on the floor with a bloodied mouth, "You're right, Sallis. I thought about punching you, so I acted on it. Just be thankful you're alive, for now," she said as she walked away.

**Present, NYC Facility in Brooklyn**

Clint was not happy. And when Clint was not happy, he went to the gym on the lower level. His week literally went from taking it easy to babysitting a scientist. A scientist who brought down his security detail. What a mockery!

He entered the empty locker room. His team would relocate Morse's lab materials to the warehouse she suggested in a few hours and he needed time to kill. He needed to cool down, but not before he gave someone a quick call.

"There better be a good reason why you're calling," Natasha picked up the phone on the other end.

"Do you know who Bobbi Morse is?" Clint asked as he changed into apparel for exercising.

"The biochemistry scientist? Yeah, why? Did she kick your ass at something?" Natasha responded and the awkward silence that followed answered her question. She laughed quietly, "You only call me for two things, Clint. One, to complain about a mission. And two, to complain about your woman problems."

"Yeah, well, it's both. I would go into detail, but it's classified and all that crap," he said as he tossed his clothes into his locker.

"It sounds like your riled up for no reason. Morse is a well-rounded asset...and, a good person. So, stop your whining and get the job done, Barton," she said and hung up on him.

"_Stop your whining and get the job done, Barton_," he mocked her as he shut his phone off. He closed his locker and walked toward the gym doors, where he punched in his code and the door unlocked to let him inside. He expected to see the room deserted, but saw the object of his irritation as she knocked the lights out of a heavy bag.

Bobbi held her hair up in a messy ponytail with her bangs slightly wet from sweat on her brow. She wore a white sports bra and black capri workout pants, and her hands were covered with elastic wraps and tape.

"Like what you see?" she said as she served the heavy bag a series of punches.

Clint didn't realize that he stared at her intently. He quickly tore his gaze away from her and moved over to the hand wraps and tape by the weights, "You wish," he said as he proceeded to wrap his hands.

Bobbi smirked as she paused to stop the heavy bag from swinging, "Are you still mad at me, sport?"

Clint rolled his eyes at the nickname. He held his tongue until he was done wrapping both of his hands and moved to the speed bag nearby, "You keep doing your thing and I'll do mine, Birdie," he said as he started to punch the bag.

"Birdie?" she repeated with a furrowed brow. The sound of the speed bag filled the room. She shouted over it, but he continued to ignore her. She looked around and picked up her bottle of water. She opened the cap and sprayed the water towards him. He jumped as the cold water soaked his back.

"What the hell?" he yelled as he tried to keep the back of his shirt away from his skin.

"Be thankful I didn't throw the bottle at your head," she said with a cheeky smile, "Why did you call me, Birdie?"

"I have an apartment in Brooklyn that I rarely sleep in, but when I do there's this annoying little bird perched up on the tree right in front of my window. You remind me of that birdie, Birdie," he winked and went back to the speed bag.

Bobbi took a swig from her water bottle before she sprayed him again. She laughed when he jumped as he did before.

"Do that again and I swear I will break your wrist," Clint said as he walked to where she stood by the heavy bag.

She was momentarily hurt by the hint of disdain in his voice, but she didn't show it when she grinned instead, "You wouldn't dare."

That was a challenge and Clint liked challenges. He stepped closer to her and that's when he realized how remarkably blue were her eyes. His own eyes darted down to her pink lips and he found it really hard to remember what he originally wanted to say. Bobbi caught a hint of his cologne and she clenched her fists in response. It had been a really long time since the smell of a man had any effect on her and she refused to let a man like Clint Barton be the exception. Despite her clenched fists, she unconsciously licked her lips and he took that as his cue to look at the wall in the far end.

"What were we talking about?" Clint teased, his voice slightly gruff.

Bobbi's lips curved upwards and walked to the bench a few feet away. She sat on it and crossed one leg over the other, "You wanted to break my wrist, but I don't think you have the balls to do it."

Clint laughed and crossed his arms about his chest, but Bobbi continued to taunt him, "In fact, by they way you're acting around me, I don't think you have the balls to even go on this mission with me."

"Listen, Birdie. I don't have a problem going on this mission. I just have a problem with agents who-"

"Have bigger balls than you," Bobbi spoke over him. He huffed out his irritation and Bobbi stood back up to size him up, "Listen, sport. How about we put this to the test? Hand-to-hand. You win, you get to call the shots when we're at the warehouse. I win, I call the shots."

Clint didn't hesitate, "You're on," he assented and followed her to the floor mat on the other side of the gym. They took to the center of the mat and Bobbi quickly announced one rule, "No hair pulling."

"Likewise," Clint responded as he pointed to his styled hair, "And, no kicks to the crotch."

"Damn," Bobbi teased and winked at him.

The two agents smirked at each other as they got into fighting stances. They circled each other for a bit to analyze potential weaknesses, much like a chess game. Clint made the first move and jabbed with his right arm. Bobbi ducked to the side as his arm sliced through the air. He tried again with his left, but Bobbi shifted and maneuvered to stand behind him. He turned and swiftly blocked a high kick to his head. She planted her foot back onto the floor and dropped to the floor to administer a low kick. He jumped in time, but she was quicker and served another kick to his head. He failed to block it and felt his ear ring from the contact. Bruised jaw and slightly disoriented, Bobbi turned into a back kick and made contact with his abdomen. He fell with his back onto the floor.

His chest heaved up and down as Bobbi approached him. She stretched out her arm for him to grab. He took it, but he knocked her off her feet with his leg. She landed on the floor with a thud and he quickly got up to resume the fight. Bobbi performed a kick up and her feet landed back on the floor.

"Had enough Morse?" Clint breathed out as he kept an adequate distance from her.

"Why don't you come over here and find out?" she replied with a simple gesture of her fingers.

Clint attempted a kick of his own, but she smacked it away with her forearm. Bobbi took advantage of the proximity and made a right jab. He mimicked her earlier defense mechanism and dodged it. He nudged her shoulder and forced her to turn her back to him, where he reached over and grabbed her shoulders. She laughed at the predicament she found herself in, but gave him a quick jab to his stomach with her elbow. He keeled over, which offered her the opportunity to grab him by the neck and flip him over onto his back. He groaned on the floor and she swiftly secured herself on top of him. Bobbi used her strength to hold his arms up above his head.

She lost her hair tie at some point during the scuffle, so she flicked her hair to one side to have a better look at him.

They stared at each other intently as they attempted to catch their breaths. Bobbi swallowed hard and leaned in. Her hair landed on his shoulder and he could smell the vanilla scent drift from the proximity. Clint found the smell alluring and suddenly he didn't mind the fact that she overpowered him.

"Checkmate," she stated with a smirk.

He chuckled, "I could easily turn you over right now."

She leaned in further and licked her lips again, "Why don't you?" she whispered.

He cocked his head to the side, where her hair caressed his cheek, "I like being on the bottom."

Bobbi's heart raced as his pupils dilated. She started to loosen her hold on his hands above his head and was about to let go completely when he laced his fingers with hers instead. Bobbi felt the tip of her ears burn as his thumbs lightly brushed her own. She inwardly snapped out of her reverie and leaned further down to his ear. She momentarily felt his lips on her neck before she whispered, "You're out of your league, Barton."

Bobbi pulled her hands away and removed herself from him. She grabbed the nearest towel and wiped the sweat from her face. The moment she stepped outside of the gym she leaned her head against a random locker. The cool touch brought her senses back to reality. She swallowed hard again as she touched the burning area on her neck from where his lips lightly brushed her.

"Don't be stupid," she whispered to herself and made her way to the showers.

Clint remained flat against the mat as he stared mindlessly into the lights above him. He lifted and stretched his hands, where her touch and warmth still lingered. He then shut his eyes and massaged his temples, "What am I doing?"


	5. Chapter 5: Briefing

**Summary**: Bobbi Morse has been recruited as a researcher for S.H.I.E.L.D. and when her life is threatened by A.I.M. a certain Avenger is assigned the task to protect her.

**Author's Note**: I promised the next update wasn't going take as long, so I hope you enjoy! As a reminder, I'm not following what has been done in the comics, but I am taking a few elements and molding them together for myself. Enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!

**ALSO**: The micro-stimulator that is mentioned later is an idea borrowed from Mission Impossible 3.

* * *

Clint paced the area in front of the door to Bobbi's lab. He occasionally stopped and attempted to alert her through the comm system, but he went back to pacing. Yes, he found her annoying. Yes, she was going to call the shots in the mission, which made her more annoying. There was something about her, though. Something that he found insanely alluring. He couldn't figure it out and it drove him up the wall. So, he continued to pace.

Bobbi packed her data and some of her personal belongings into a duffel bag. The lab had already been cleared out and her equipment was being transferred to the warehouse. All that needed to be done was to brief Barton on the details that she and Fury had settled on.

Barton. The man was insufferable. After their one-on-one in the gym, she took a long, cold shower to dispel any thoughts...any feelings, that had resulted out of the encounter. This was a covert op. Get in, get out, and move on. But, even now, as she packed her things, he still managed to enter her thoughts.

She paused and ran her hands through her hair. It was still damp from the shower. After she let out a long sigh, she picked up her duffel and walked over to drop it off by the door. She let it fall to the floor and was about to walk back to the plans she left on the lab table, when she noticed a figure pacing back and forth on the small viewing screen by the door. It was Barton.

"Is there a reason why you're pacing in front of my lab?" a voice filtered into the hallway. Clint jumped slightly and looked around to find the source of the voice, but the hallway was empty.

"Up here, sport," she naturally laughed at his reaction and he looked up to find the camera Bobbi watched him through.

He casually waved when the door slid open to reveal Bobbi in a plain white short-sleeved shirt and black slacks. Bobbi stared him up and down. He wore a fitted black shirt with rolled up sleeves and jeans.

"Like what you see?" Clint repeated the words she used earlier in the gym.

Bobbi's eyes snapped back up to his, "Ha ha, don't kid yourself," she stepped aside and walked off to the back of the lab.

He followed her and took a seat across the table. Bobbi flicked a switch underneath the desk and the table lit up like a giant light box.

"So, what we got?" Clint pointed to the plans in front of him and pulled the nearest one to him.

"Intel I've gathered on A.I.M. since I joined. This map-"

"When did it happen?" Clint interrupted her as he analyzed the sheet he held.

Bobbi furrowed her brow. The meeting barely started and he was already distracted, "When did what happen?"

"Joining A.I.M.? How'd a smart girl like you get mixed up with them?" he placed the paper down and directed his gaze toward her.

Bobbi held his gaze and shrugged her shoulders, "It just happened. I was a waitress getting my Ph.D. I was already in debt from my previous masters programs and my undergrad. I needed a way out and the opportunity presented itself. I did what any _stupid_ girl would do," she changed his earlier compliment of being smart, "I took a risk."

"I take risks all the time," Clint added with a simple shrug.

"Point proven," she muttered under her breath as she equated taking risks with stupidity. Clint rolled his eyes and she went back to the task at hand, "These set of plans lay out each floor of the division I work for and-"

"When did you figure it out?" Clint prodded her with another question.

Bobbi bit her bottom lip in an attempt to not curse him out, "Barton, if you're going to ask me questions, at least be more explicit. Figure what out?"

Clint enjoyed burrowing under her skin, "That you were working with the bad guys? Something must have triggered you to switch allegiance."

Bobbi's eyes dropped to the table. She didn't want to remember that morning underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. The broken phone with the bloody finger prints had haunted her long enough and she refused to talk about it, "I just knew. A.I.M. is a terrorist organization. The division I work for has supplied enough bioweapons and supplies to subversive groups. I don't want to be apart of it anymore."

"Have you killed anyone?"

Bobbi scratched her forehead, "I'm looking at my next target right now."

Clint smirked in response. She finally took a seat in the empty chair nearby and folder her hands on the table, "Is this an interrogation session?"

"It's a yes/no question, Morse," he persisted. Clint was curious about her past, but oblivious to how blunt his questions seemed to her. He wanted to know more about the person he was going to work with and who was going to have his back.

"I'm relatively new to all of this compared to you and everyone else here," she started and shook her head, "But, I haven't killed anybody the way you would expect."

He stared at her intently as she continued, "When you're recruited for A.I.M., you're not really recruited until you pass the first test, which is to successfully draw out a plan of a piece of technology based on a hypothetical situation. The situation I got was if a prisoner of war was captured and they held vital information that could turn the tide of events, invent something that would be able to extract that information by any means."

Bobbi swallowed hard and took a deep breath, "_By any means_," she repeated, "I thought 'Hey, it's just hypothetical, right?' So, I went ahead and drafted this entire plan about this micro-stimulator that can be inserted through the nasal cavity and when activated it can cause the patient extreme pain. Enough pain that would make anyone break."

"They made it real," Clint predicted the outcome.

"The bastards implemented the technology to dozens of people for various reasons. People who ended up dying because of trauma to the brain. People who ended up dying because I wanted to pass a test," she finished as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Clint's hand moved across the table to touch hers, but he stopped midway. She wiped the tears away and straightened out the paperwork in front of her, "Any other questions, Agent Barton?"

He felt like a complete ass, but he needed to ask one more question.

"Pepsi or Coca Cola?"

The man had no bounds. She got up from her seat and went straight for the door, "I can't believe you! You're off this mission."

Clint ran around the table and caught up to step in front of her, "Bobbi, stop. Hear me out."

She attempted to move around him, but he held her back by the waist, "I've been there, okay. I've seen people die and, most of the time, I was the one who killed them. Sometimes you can tell what kind of person someone is by how they answer questions and react to their own stories, which is why I asked that stuff."

Bobbi stared back into his dark blue eyes and she saw the truth swimming in them. The man was both stupid and smart, a trait she found simultaneously intolerable and irresistible. She felt the warmth of his hands on her waist, which she found distracting and stepped back enough to let his arms fall to his sides.

"Including the soda question?" she narrowed her eyes at him.

Clint grinned, "Including the soda question."

"In that case," she paused and inwardly kicked herself for giving in to his antics, "Pepsi."

Clint nodded in approval, "Vanilla or chocolate?"

"Chocolate chip cookie dough," she answered just as quickly as he asked. He grinned.

"Ninja or pirate?"

"Ninja."

"Beach or pool?"

"Beach."

"Monopoly or Clue?"

"Clue."

"Star Wars or Star Trek?"

"Star Trek."

"Oh, wrong answer! And you were doing so well, too. It's always Star Wars," he corrected her and she couldn't help but laugh.

"You're so stupid," she grinned as she walked back to her seat.

"You have much to learn, my young padawan," Clint teased as he joined her at the desk.

"Do you ever take anything seriously?" she asked as she tied her hair up into a ponytail. She started to wonder why S.H.I.E.L.D. had him so high up in the ranks with his wise ass cracks and attitude.

"It depends on the situation...and who I'm with," his eyes flicked up to hers. Bobbi noticed his eyes were dilated again. She remembered reading a scholarly article years ago that pointed out pupil dilation as a sign of attraction. She wondered if her own eyes gave her away before she tore her gaze away and directed them back down to the table.

"So, can we be serious now? Please?" she pleaded with him to just get this over with. She wasn't looking to make friends or have a bonding experience.

"What we got?" he repeated himself from earlier.

_Finally_. Bobbi started, "Base of operations will be at this abandoned warehouse," she pointed to one of the maps.

"Nice view," he commented on the location. It was close to the river on the edge of Brooklyn and directly faced the NYC skyline.

"You're back up, so I will contact you when A.I.M. thinks I have a working product-"

Confused, Clint interrupted her again, "Wait, I thought I was coming with you?"

Bobbi picked up a hint of something she didn't expect to hear in his voice, "Is that disappointment I hear? I thought you would be thrilled."

"Why would I be thrilled?" She liked playing Clue. Why wouldn't he want to be shacked up with her in an old warehouse for who knows how long?

"I'm going to be working. You would be bored out of your mind," she admitted, "Plus, I thought you were against babysiting me."

Clint inwardly winced at her words, "How did you-"

"I overheard you talking to Coulson earlier. I don't need babysitting, Barton. I'm perfectly capable of being alone in a warehouse for two weeks," she explained and shrugged her shoulders.

"I didn't mean it," Clint apologized. That's what he originally thought before he got to her know her just now.

She shrugged her shoulders again, "It doesn't matter. What does matter is you coming through with S.H.I.E.L.D. when I make contact with my division. Can I trust you to do that?" she turned to see his eyes scanning the plans of the building Sallis owned. He nodded and she was both relieved and disappointed he didn't argue back.

"So, what happens after you contact Sallis? Give the play by play."

"Sallis always gives the impression that he owns A.I.M., but he reports to a director. When I tell him that I've come up with a viable product, that person will want to meet me. That's the perfect opportunity to apprehend both Sallis and his superior, and bring down this division."

"What's the best access point?" Clint flipped the building plan around so he had a better view of it.

Bobbi proceeded to go into detail. She informed him of access codes, location and number of guards stationed at each post, the weaponry they would be dealing with, and other pieces of information deemed important for a successful mission.

After she talked for a good twenty minutes, she turned to him and hoped his mind hadn't wandered into space. Instead, he shook his head, "I don't like it."

"What? Why?" Bobbi exclaimed.

"You're going in on this alone," Clint added as she put the paperwork back into a folder and handed it to him.

"I've been alone in all this so far. A few more hours with Sallis and his supervisor won't kill me," she replied and made her way to the door.

Clint watched her go and forced himself not to follow, "So, that's it? You're just leaving?"

Bobbi laughed coldly, "Why are you making it sound like you care?" She picked up her duffel bag and proceeded to walk out the door.

The door slid closed behind her, "Maybe because I do," Clint responded to an empty room.

Bobbi walked down the hall and refused to look back when she heard her lab door open. She made a quick turn into another corridor and felt relief wash over. She needed to get away from him; not because he was a pain or irritating. She needed to get away before she changed her mind and asked him to come with her.


	6. Chapter 6: Archery

**Summary**: Bobbi Morse has been recruited as a researcher for S.H.I.E.L.D. and when her life is threatened by A.I.M. a certain Avenger is assigned the task to protect her.

**Author's Note**: I promised the next update wasn't going take as long, so I hope you enjoy! As a reminder, I'm not following what has been done in the comics, but I am taking a few elements and molding them together for myself. Enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!

**ALSO**: To help you out on how the warehouse looks like on the inside please check this picture out. This is exactly how I imagined it to be: bit . ly/OAZu6J [no spaces]. Enjoy!

* * *

Bobbi emerged from the subway, a mode of transportation not preferred by agents, but she enjoyed the world that existed beneath the ground. She approached the warehouse near the docks, which was far off from any major apartment buildings and shopping areas. _S.H.I.E.L.D. works fast_, she thought as she saw that the two main doors to the warehouse had been replaced with steel framing. A viewing screen and a keypad had also been added.

"Way to be discreet," Bobbi muttered to herself and punched in her authentication code. The door unlocked and she walked inside. She found the switch box and the lights overhead turned on to reveal a large empty space in front of her and freight containers that were abandoned years ago towards the far end. Towards the center was her make-shift lab. Two long tables that with piles of boxes on the floor.

"Thanks for unpacking, Coulson!" she yelled to no one. Her voice echoed and scared a few pigeons that made the warehouse their home over the years. She dropped the duffel bag by the door and spotted the generator that would power her equipment nearby.

"Time to work," she sighed and proceeded to unpack her materials. Box after box she removed the contents and placed them according to how she originally had them back in her old lab. She stacked the boxes underneath the tables and dusted herself off when she was done.

Bobbi looked around to admire her work when she heard clapping filter throughout the warehouse. She reacted swiftly and removed a firearm she had previously attached to the underside of one of the tables. She held it up, but couldn't figure out the source since the clap echoed throughout warehouse.

"Good job, Birdie," a familiar voice spoke and Bobbi looked up to find Clint sitting on a railing that hung off the ceiling.

"Barton? What the hell are you doing here?" Bobbi yelled and she lowered the weapon. Clint stood up and walked across and down a wall ladder.

He answered her when he reached ground level, "I'm doing my job."

She noticed that Clint carried his bow on his back as he approached her, "How long have you been up there?"

He shrugged his shoulders and sat on an empty space on one of the tables. He untied a small bag from the end of his bow and proceeded to eat grapes, "30-35 minutes before you got here. What took you so long, by the way?"

Bobbi didn't know whether to laugh or strangle him. Maybe she could do both and get away with it, "So, all this time you've been watching me unpack and break my back with this equipment?"

"If it's any consolation, you have a beautiful backside. Grape?" he winked at her and offered her the bag. Now she really wanted to strangle him.

"Get off my table," Bobbi slapped his arm and he jumped off, "I call the shots, remember? Go back!"

"About that," he popped another grape into his mouth and pulled out a phone from his pocket.

She crossed her arms as he dialed a number and he waited, "Put her on?" he greeted the person on the other end.

He passed the phone to her, "It's for you," he smirked.

Bobbi took the phone, "Who is-Director Fury, sir. How may I-But, sir-This is not-Hello?"

Clint snatched the phone away, "I win," he grinned.

Bobbi was about to punch him in the face, but a knock on the door stopped her fist midway. Clint ducked and ran to the door, "It's for me!"

Clint turned on the viewing screen and saw two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. He opened the door and greeted the two men, "Come on in, boys!"

He guided the two men to an empty part of the warehouse, "Set up right here."

"Woah, woah! Set up what?" Bobbi exclaimed and the men walked back out.

"What do you expect me to do for the next two weeks?" he winked at her again.

"Stop doing that!" she huffed. He looked confused and asked for clarification.

"Winking at me. It's-" she stopped when the two men came back with a wide box. It stood as tall as them and laid it at an angle against the wall.

The men left again, "What were you saying about my winking?" Clint responded as he opened the latches on the box.

"It's annoying and frustrating and...beautiful," Bobbi replied somewhat dazed as she looked at the contents of the box. She referred to the three bows attached to the door of the box. Against the wall stood a large round target. She walked up to the box door as the two men came back with another box. It was smaller than the first.

"Thanks guys," he waved to them as they walked out and closed the door behind them.

He watched her as she admired the bows. The recurve bow she stared at was made of wood and had intricate designs along the handle and limbs. The others were a specialized recurve bow and complex bow.

"You can pull it down if you want." He was amused by her state of wonder. She took the wooden one down and traced her fingers along the woodwork.

Clint approached her from the back and bent down to whisper the story behind the bow, "The Chief of a Native American tribe gave it to me when I beat his son at a contest." She was still covered in sweat, but he could smell the hint of vanilla as he spoke.

"It's gorgeous," she admired it for a bit longer before she realized his warmth on her back. She stepped off and handed it back to him.

"You can shoot with me later if you want," he grabbed it from her and adjusted it back on the box door.

She sighed in a defeated manner, "You're not leaving, are you?"

"Nope," he said as he went to open the smaller box.

She peaked over his shoulder and saw a number of things including clothes, board games and, "A PS3?"

"A man's gotta stay entertained!" he countered.

Bobbi gave up. She had no choice but to accept the fact that he was going to be there for the next two weeks. Part of her felt his presence was pointless, while another portion was glad he was there. She was torn and there was only one place where she could mull things over.

"I'm taking a shower," she announced and went to her duffel bag to retrieve what she needed, while he concentrated on setting up his corner.

Bobbi went to the blue freight container as informed by Coulson in the corner of the warehouse. The side door led to a decent bathroom, considering its location. There was a simple toilet, sink, mirror on the rusted wall, and a round shower basin with a curtain father down. She started the hot shower as she peeled off her sweaty clothes.

She sighed happily once she got in and let the warm water sooth her body. It wasn't long before her mind started working again. Bobbi knew what she wanted in life. She wanted to be apart of something big that would help change lives. That meant getting out of A.I.M. and moving forward with S.H.I.E.L.D. There were other things, however, she never anticipated. Barton was one of them. He was funny, determined and a hard ass. In many ways, he reminder her of herself. Still, she barely knew him, but that didn't stop his presence from questioning her wants.

As she let the warm water drench her hair, she counted the number of times she was in a committed relationship. Absolutely zero. She had several first dates and flings, but nothing memorable. She never cared for it either. She was happily content spending the rest of her life alone.

She jumped when she heard the door squeal open, "My bladder is going to explode," she heard Clint say from behind the flimsy curtain. Yup, she definitely didn't mind spending the rest of her life alone.

"Hurry up, there's a draft," Bobbi said as she covered herself as if he had x-ray vision. She heard the door close and wondered if he had already conducted his business and left without saying a word. She peeked around the shower curtain and saw his back. Her eyes drifted up to see his own reflected back from the mirror. She pulled back into the shower and Clint smirked.

"Gotta give Coulson props for putting all of this together in a matter of hours. Really gives the impression that you're serious about your work here," he said as he brought the seat to the toilet down and sat down.

"I am serious about my work. I may not give Sallis the right serum, but I am determined to replicate the work that was done decades ago," Bobbi replied as she ducked her head under the warm water again.

Clint stood up and leaned against the wall closer to the shower, "Why? What do you get out of it?"

She heard his voice travel from a different position and stuck her head out again. She saw how much closer he was and glared at him, "Do you mind?"

Clint pulled out his small bag of grapes again and proceeded to pop one into his mouth, "Nope." He flashed her a smile and she grunted.

"I thought men hated talking," she said as she secured the shower curtain and made sure there were no gaps.

"Oh, come on, Morse. I like talking to you. Just answer the question," he said and threw a grape over the top of the curtain. The grape landed on her head and toppled to the bottom. She inwardly groaned and bent down to pick up the piece of fruit.

"Maybe Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. can put the serum to good use. Help save lives rather than destroy them," she answered and tossed the grape back at him.

He caught it before he spoke again, "I'll let you in on a little secret, Morse. Even when an organization seems like they have the best of intentions, they really don't." He tossed the grape back into the shower.

Bobbi took his words into consideration as she picked up the grape again. She heard the door open and she peeked around the curtain to see him gone. What was he trying to tell her? That S.H.I.E.L.D. was just as bad as A.I.M. even though they had different intentions? Perhaps it was his way of saying that the ends don't justify the means and that she had to reevaluate her scientific approach with S.H.I.E.L.D.

The door creaked open again, "I forgot to flush," Clint said with a hint of humor in his voice and Bobbi was too late to react when a rush of hot water came down.

"BARTON!" Bobbi screamed and she heard him laugh on his way back out.

Later that night, Bobbi took a bite of her poptart before she examined the slide in the microscope. She applied the latest prototype serum to a group of cells, but like many times before, the cells deteriorated within moments of contact. She mentally and physically sighed and tossed the half-eaten poptart into the bin underneath the table. She reached for her recorder and proceeded to record her findings, "Test #18 is unsuccessful. Application on a test subject would result in organ failure-"

Bobbi paused as she heard something whiz through the air followed by a small thud. She turned in her stool to see Clint with a bow in hand in the expansive space behind her make-shift lab. He pulled back on another arrow and she turned to the other side to see the arrow hit the bullseye dead center. She rolled her eyes and turned back to her recorder, "And hemorrhaging. I'm calling it a night."

She cleared out her desk and made some final written notes in her notepad when she finally decided to go to bed. Or, cot, in her case. Near the bathroom storage container stood two cots clearly marked with their belongings. Bobbi made sure to have some distance between her and arrow boy, especially after the prank he pulled in the bathroom earlier.

Bobbi walked over to him and waited for him to shoot his next arrow before she moved past him, "You're still not mad at me for that flushing incident, right?" he said as he nocked another arrow, took aim and sent it flying to the target.

He laughed when she didn't respond, "It was a joke!" He walked over to her as she fixed the covers on her cot, "Come on, put a smile on that pretty face."

She turned to give him a glared expression instead and went back to fluff her pillow, "Okay, not exactly the anti-frown I wanted, but here," he said and offered her his bow, "Take out your frustrations on the target. It's soothing."

He laid the bow on her cot and she really wanted to ignore it and him, but she was fascinated with the prospect of shooting with it. She never used one and Clint made it look unbelievably simple. Curiosity took the best of her and she grabbed it. She presumed it was the bow he used for practice because she recalled seeing it next to the wooden one. It was a recurve bow with a mechanical sight to guide the archer. It had other gadgets, but at least she knew the basics. She saw the small grin on his face, "Stop looking at me like that or I'll smack that grin off your face with this bow."

He didn't take her threat lightly, so he turned and she followed him to where he previously stood. She looked down to the other side of the warehouse and she estimated the distance to be 60 or 70 feet. He motioned for her to stay as he went to retrieve the arrows from the target. She took the time to analyze the bow further. It was as tall as her. She started to pull back on the string when Clint stopped her, "Don't pull back and let go without an arrow. That's what's called dry fire. It could cause micro-fractures in the bow from the stress."

Bobbi removed her hand from the string and obeyed his direction. They didn't call him a master archer for nothing. He approached her with the arrows in hand. He kept one and put the others in the quiver behind his back. She watched him twirl the arrow in his fingers before he started talking, "This is a carbon arrow. They're more durable than other types of arrows."

Bobbi nodded and was impressed at how serious he was in his element. He had a whole different demeanor and anyone could tell how passionate he was with his craft.

"The fletching," he pointed to the plastic feathers at the other end of the arrow, "Is used to stabilize the arrow through air resistance in flight. The odd colored fletch faces you."

Clint gently grabbed the bow from her and held it sideways. He placed the arrow down so that the odd colored fletch faced him, as he mentioned. He removed the arrow and began to emphasize his position, "When you take your stance, you stand sideways to the target with your feet apart."

Bobbi imitated his stance and he turned to observe her, "Good," he said as he put his head through the bow and let it hang off his back, "You're going to need these." He pulled off his arm guard and fastened it to her forearm. She watched his calloused hands work with the piece of equipment and her eyes drifted up to his face. From afar, anyone would mistake him to be in his twenties, but she saw the small wrinkles by his eyes and remembered from his file that he was in his early thirties and about seven years older than her. His gaze shifted back up to her, but she quickly looked down before she got caught staring. She admired the arm guard as he attached the finger tab on her right hand.

"Why did you pick this up?" she broke the silence and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Parents died at a young age. Grew up in a carnival. Picked it up for show. It's been the only solid thing in my life, so I've stuck with it ever since," he replied casually.

Bobbi swallowed hard. She didn't mean to bring up his past, but he shrugged it off again, "Don't feel sorry for me, Morse. I've done alright on my own," he smirked and handed her the bow.

He pointed to the end of the arrow again, "Nock the arrow on the string." She took the arrow and turned it to have the odd colored feather face her. She nocked the arrow as directed and waited for his next set of instructions.

"Okay, bring the bow upright," and he proceeded to fix her grip on the bow and flexed her elbow out a bit. He brought her shooting hand up and positioned her hand against her chin, "This is where you'll bring the string back to release. Notice how your arm is parallel to the floor."

Bobbi nodded and then Clint pointed to the mechanical sight, "Right now, you're about sixty feet off the target. You want the point of aim to be higher than your intended target. So, you'll want to aim," he said as he walked behind her and positioned the bow slightly above the target, "Like that. You know physics, right? "

Bobbi chuckled, "My aim is set on an auxiliary object that is higher than my target because the trajectory of the arrow will curve up and over onto my target," Bobbi responded with a smirk of her own.

"Well said, my young padawan," Clint replied and she rolled her eyes at the Star Wars reference.

"Time to take aim," he said and Bobbi made sure she was in the right stance. She put the bow upright and pulled back on the bowstring.

"Don't forget to breathe," Clint whispered from behind. She took a deep breath, "Release." She exhaled upon release and the arrow landed a few rings outside of the center.

"Not bad, Birdie," he said as he handed her another arrow. Bobbi smiled and bit her lip when she nocked the next arrow. She hated to admit it, but he was right. It was soothing.

"Aim," he directed her and she pulled back to her chin, "Release." The arrow landed a few inches closer to the center. She smiled widely before Clint took the bow from her.

"Taking this now before you actually hit dead center and apply for my job," he grinned.

"Hmm, that's not a bad idea. I could make a name for myself," she said as grabbed the bow back, "How about...Mockingbird? I did a pretty good job at imitating you after two shots."

Clint laughed, "Don't kid yourself. Let a pro show you how it's done," he said and she willingly offered his bow back. He proceeded to remove an arrow from his quiver and shot it in a matter of seconds. As it did before, it landed dead center of the target.

"Show off," Bobbi muttered under her breath as she removed the arm guard and finger tab.

"Don't hate on my awesome," he winked at her.

She simply smiled and handed him back his items, "Thank you. It really did help me cool down."

Clint nodded and pointed to the target, "You're welcome to use it any time."

She pressed her lips together in disappointment as she started to walk away, "I'm sure you tell that to all the girls."

Clint noticed her change in expression and smirked, "It might be hard to believe, but actually, you're the first."

His words made her pause slightly before she continued on to her cot. She felt stomach jitter and the rush of blood filter into her ears, "Good night, Clint."

"Good night, Birdie," he replied as he walked towards the target.

Bobbi settled into her cot and buried herself underneath the simple covers. She closed her eyes and sighed into her pillow. This was going to be the two longest weeks of her life.


	7. Chapter 7: Talk by the Fire

**Summary**: Bobbi Morse has been recruited as a researcher for S.H.I.E.L.D. and when her life is threatened by A.I.M. a certain Avenger is assigned the task to protect her.

**Author's Note**: As a reminder, I'm not following what has been done in the comics, but I am taking a few elements and molding them together for myself. Enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review! Reviews are a giant motivator!

**WARNING**: This chapter includes SEX. Sorry for the spoiler, but I had to give fair warning. Also, it's not graphic/detailed sex. I'm not the type of person to write that way, nor am I really good at writing it. So, I hope I did alright. Let me know!

Lastly, if you missed it in the previous chapter, to help you out on how the warehouse looks like on the inside please check this picture out. This is exactly how I imagined it to be: bit . ly/OAZu6J [no spaces]. Enjoy!

* * *

Bobbi stared out onto the river and brought the umbrella closer to her as the rain continued to drench the evening skyline. She leaned against the railing, which prevented people from falling into the river, and let the sound of the drops against her umbrella pull her into a deep reverie. A week and two days had passed by and her deep mission to bring down her division turned into a vacation. She plans to write "Barton made me do it" on her mission report by the end of all this. Indeed, it was Clint that acted as a distraction, and she was convinced he had some sort of mutant power that convinced her to forget her work and just relax. The other day he pulled out the board game _Clue_ and the two went at it until the late hours of the night. Other times they sparred and other times he admired her from afar when she did target practice with his spare bow. She spent most of her nights in deep conversation with him while they rested in their cots and she threw her pillow at him on occasion when he refused to shut up.

She got to know a lot about Clint Barton over the past few days. For example, he woke up bright and early to do his routine situps and pushups. He never made his bed. He sang in the shower; anything from show tunes to ballads. He wasn't that great. He preferred boxer briefs and she preferred him in pants, but she made no complaint. He got to know the same amount about her and more with his nagging questions. He also picked up the habit of passing compliments to her, which she ignored during the moment, but smiled at when he wasn't looking.

"_Bobbi-bird, how do you do it?" he asked from the top of the warehouse, where he originally hid when she first arrived._

"_Do what?" she responded without looking up._

"_Look so damn smart and beautiful just by sitting at the table?"_

"_Shut up, Barton."_

Bobbi bit her lower lip in anxiety. Clint became an unnecessary distraction, by Sallis' point of view. The last thing she needed was to lose another friend. The memory of her professor's bloodied and broken phone jostled her back to reality. She paced back and forth near the rail and eventually pulled her phone out of her pocket. Her two weeks were almost up and she needed to get her plan into motion. She searched for her contact and waited in anticipation.

"Barbara, I hope you have good news for me," Sallis answered on the end and Bobbi fixed her eyes back on the river.

"I do. Fury still thinks I'm months behind with my progress, but Sallis," she acted a bit overjoyed to sound more authentic, "I've made a breakthrough with the serum. The results are staggering. I plan to run a few more tests in the next two days, but I'm sure this is it."

There was a moment of silence and she heard the backdoor of the warehouse open. She turned to see Clint step out below the awning of the warehouse, where he was covered by the rain. She quickly held the phone in between her cheek and shoulder and held her finger up to stop him from talking, although Sallis would be unable to hear him with the thrashing rain in the background. Clint obeyed her signal, but proceeded to light a fire in an empty metal garbage can. He started using it two nights ago when he needed to get out of the warehouse to breath and stretch, but wanted to stay warm under the cool night.

She then heard Sallis give a hearty laugh and she inwardly calmed down as he fell for the bait, "Barbara, this is amazing. I knew you could do it, I knew it. You said you need two days?"

"Yes, just to run a few minor tests, but I'll be ready to present my findings to you in two days' time," she clarified.

"That's perfect. It'll give me enough time to gather the supervisory heads for an official meeting."

"I'll look forward to it, then," she said and she went to hang up her phone when he spoke up.

"Barbara, I know you've made some sacrifices along the way, but just know that your hard work and ethics will change the future." She heard a click and just like that the conversation ended. She wanted nothing more than to throw the phone into the river, but she settled on kicking a rock before she went to hide under the awning with Clint. She dropped her umbrella by the door and proceeded to warm her hands by the fire.

"I take it you told your boss," Clint said and her exasperated sigh answered his question.

"In two days' time, huh?" he overheard her conversation and she nodded.

"Time flies," he whispered and Bobbi ignored the sound of disappointment, "So, what are you gonna do after all this is done?"

Bobbi shrugged, "I'm a scientist. I'm sure S.H.I.E.L.D. will find a use for me after we're done."

Thunder and lightning broke out over the skyline, but Clint remained focused on the topic, "I get that you love biochemistry and all that science stuff, but I also get the feeling that you want to do good outside of the lab, too."

Bobbi nodded and laughed, "Yeah, but I don't exactly have a degree in spying. I can fight, yeah. I can shoot a gun, sure. But, can you really imagine me doing what you do?"

Clint crossed his arms and looked at her with determination, "Yeah, I do."

Bobbi simply smiled, "Can we talk about something else? I don't really want to talk about my career options right now."

"Fair enough," he said before he completely switched gears on her. He smirked and Bobbi didn't like whatever thought came across his mind, "Relationships. I'm going to hold up my fingers and you stop me when I reach the number of relationships you've had in the past."

Bobbi snorted, "Are you serious right now?"

"Serious as a heart attack, so here we go," he said and lifted one finger before he lifted another and another. He reached ten, "More than ten?"

"Clint," Bobbi started and he proceeded onto eleven.

"Okay, we're going into double digits here," he continued to put up the next finger.

"Clint," she said again and took one of his hands. She positioned his fingers into a zero and held it in front of him.

"If you're defining relationships as an attachment that lasts more than a few dates and involves the boyfriend/girlfriend labeling, then zero," she finished and dropped his hand.

Clint cocked his head slightly to see whether she told the truth and he scratched the back of his head awkwardly when he did, "Seriously?"

Bobbi rolled her eyes, but continued to smile despite the giant reveal about her love life, "Shocker. I never really had time for it, you know?"

"Right," he nodded, "Science."

"Yeah," she nodded as well, "Science."

Silence fell between them as they stuck their hands out over the fire. Bobbi glanced at him and he seemed deep in thought. She knew he had another question to ask, "Spit it out, Barton."

He didn't hesitate, "So, you've never had...you know." Bobbi raised an eyebrow and made him wait until he truly asked what was on his mind, "That. You know, when a man loves a woman, can't keep his mind on nothing else."

Bobbi snorted with laughter again, "Are _you_ being serious right now? Sex, is that what you're trying to say?"

"What? Sex? No. What? I meant pancakes. When a man loves a women, he makes her pancakes. That's the only thing I have on my mind. So, have you had pancakes before?"

Bobbi nudged him on the arm and he laughed, "Yes, sex, Bobbi. Of course, I was talking about sex."

She shrugged again and focused on the fired before her, "It happened a few times, but nothing serious."

Clint nodded and he too fixed his eyes on the fire, "Do you want serious?"

She suddenly got warm despite the occasional gust of wind and she pretended to not hear his question before she clapped her hands together, "It's getting late. I'll see you inside?" she said as she left the side of the garbage can and walked towards the door.

Clint grabbed her by the wrist and her breath faltered. He brought her closer to him with little space to spare in between. He was so close to Bobbi that she could feel the heat emanate from his body and his heart raced as fast as hers did.

"You never asked me," he exhaled rather huskily. His hand went from holding her wrist to caressing the lines on her palm, "About girlfriends."

Bobbi opened her mouth to say something, but he continued, "I don't have one. Actually, I haven't been in a relationship for a few years now. A few encounters here or there just like you, but the last time I got close to someone, she ended up being a Russian spy," he confessed as his free hand went to brush her hair. The sensation of his hand on her hair felt simultaneously natural and foreign.

"Natasha," Bobbi whispered and directed her gaze at the fire behind him.

His squeezed her hand gently to get her attention back, "Things died off pretty quickly. We didn't really see eye to eye."

"I should get some sleep," she repeated and motioned to move, but he swiftly placed his hands on her waist to keep her in place.

"You're not making this easy," Clint admitted.

"Maybe because things aren't easy with me. I don't like taking risks, remember? Back in the lab, I said that. I think things through now and I don't let anything sway me from making an informed decision. If I commit to something...or someone, it has to be with someone who won't let things die off pretty quickly," she confessed with a relatively dry mouth. The heat set off between them made it hard for her to focus, but she got the message across. She wasn't a one-night stand or a random fling anymore. She wanted more than that.

"So, at least I know you wanna make this work as much as I do," he said as he leaned in to her neck to inhale her scent, "You have to take risks from time to time. Take a risk on me."

"I thought I annoyed you," she replied somewhat dazed as he massaged her lower back.

He laughed lightly and his breath tickled her, "You drive me crazy, Bobbi," he whispered into her ear.

His words made her smile, "Likewise," she breathed out as she gave in to her urges and she too leaned in to his shoulder, where she placed a chaste kiss.

"I know this is cliché to say, but I have a lot of baggage," she mouthed against his shoulder and he understood it as some sort of a warning.

He pulled back and so did she, "Pack it up with my stuff in storage. No charge."

She laughed and he gently kissed her forehead, "I mean it, Bobbi," he said slightly more serious, "I don't want to be the lone hawk anymore."

Bobbi considered the sincerity in his words and her chest wanted to explode. So, she did the first thing that came to her mind and reached up to kiss responded with as much fervor as he tightened his grip on her waist and pulled her closer. She didn't realize that her hands had traveled up to his face, where the stubble on his cheeks felt amazing under her touch. She bit his bottom lip and teasingly pulled back only to have Clint follow her and capture her lips again.

His hands roamed her sides and eventually settled on her behind, where he mustered the strength to lift her up into the air. She obliged him and wrapped her long legs around his waist. He proceeded to walk to the door and punched in his code without much effort. The cots were nearby, but he managed to trip slightly along the way as they kissed.

"Graceful much?" she teased and focused her lips on his neck.

She felt his throaty laugh, "You try walking in the dark."

He finally reach the area with their cots, "Your cot or mine?" he joked.

"Mine is closest to the condoms," she managed to say in between kisses and his face broke into an expression of utter shock.

"You knew this was going to happen?" he exclaimed as he stopped at the side of her cot.

Bobbi worked her way up his jaw and kissed him briefly before she answered his question, "I estimated a 75 percent chance of it happening based on our rough start in the alley, my kicking your ass in the gym, and everything else that happened since we left the facility."

"I'm so turned on by your hypothesis right now," he smirked and leaned in for another kiss. They hovered over her cot for a few moments to remove her shirt and bra before he gently set her down on the thin mattress.

He kneeled in between her legs while she retrieved the condom from her duffel bag on the floor. She finally pulled back and exhaled deeply from the exertion of searching. Clint's eyes went from her bare chest up to her hands, where she read the contents of the wrapper, "The girl at the counter said these were 'in,'" she emphasized with air quotes, "To be honest, I think she wanted me to buy the most expensive ones."

The conversation brought a smile to his face as he snatched it away and leaned down to the side of her face, "I'll pay you back," he whispered sultrily into her ear. They resumed their kisses and he momentarily moved aside to remove her shorts and underwear. He bent down to her and made his way up her abdomen, through her chest, and up to her lips.

She interrupted their kiss when she realized the barrier that still existed between them, "You're kidding me with your pants, right?"

Clint chuckled at her demanding tone and kissed the space in between her breast, "Desperate much?"

He moved back to unbuckle his pants when she punched him on the arm, "What the hell?" he shouted.

"I'm not desperate!" she cried out and moved to unbuckle his pants for him as he kneeled on the cot, "It's called longing," she corrected him.

Clint laughed, "Tomato, tomahto," he replied with a sweet kiss. When he finally removed his pants, it was Bobbi's turn to laugh.

"You do realize that you laughing significantly wounds my masculinity, right?" he said as he positioned himself in front of her.

She continued to laugh and clutched at her sides. Clint scratched the back of his head as he waited for an explanation and crossed his arms across his chest. The laughter finally subsided and she stared at him to find a pout on his lips.

She reached out for him and kissed him soundly on the lips, "I'm sorry!"

"Mind telling me what was so funny?" he asked bitterly as he unwrapped the condom.

"It's not you, I swear!" she stated as she brushed her hands through his hair, "The last time I was with a guy was sometime in college and he _finished_ before we even started."

Clint understood what she meant and she continued, "So, I imagined the same thing happening to you and-"

He cut her off with a sensual kiss that sent her back onto the pillow. His lips caressed her jawline and stopped to nibble on her ear, "I promise you that I can hold out much longer."

He searched for her hands and held them up above her head as he pushed into her. Her breath faltered. His speed gradually picked up and she welcomed it.

She didn't want to admit it, but Bobbi's walls had completely collapsed. Clint had burrowed his way in and there was no going back. She didn't want to go back. She was perfectly content with the idea of being in a relationship despite the nature of their jobs. After all, he admitted he hated being alone and wanted to share whatever life he had with someone else. She wanted the same thing. Two lost souls that made up one whole, and that's exactly how they felt now in each other's arms.

"Wait," Bobbi breathed out. He looked at her curiously when she removed herself. She motioned him to lie down while she positioned herself over him.

"You like being on the the bottom, remember?" she reminded him as she lowered herself on him and moved to her own rhythm. She bit her lip as he stared at her lovingly. He tugged on her hair and brought her face down to his.

"No hair pulling," she said in between kisses.

"Too bad," he smirked as he gently pulled on it again to gain more access to her neck.

They spent the rest of the night in immeasurable bliss as they explored each other. They exchanged hours of conversation about their wants and hopes before they finally fell asleep together some time after that. Clint didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her and flush her body against his. Bobbi didn't mind since she slept soundly for the first time in months despite the sound of Clint's heavy breathing by her ear. She found the act soothing.

The hours of blissful sleep didn't last long as the memory of her earlier conversation with Sallis entered her mind. He paced back and forth as he carried a pistol as his side and he stopped to aim it at her professor, who appeared from the corner of her eye. He shot her without hesitation and Bobbi attempted to reach for her, but felt stuck where she stood.

She whimpered in her sleep and Clint woke up with a start. He looked down to see a vulnerable side of Bobbi he was used to seeing, since she experienced the same nightmares over the past week. He normally called out to her from his cot, but he was close enough to touch her cheek and he gently shook her, "Bobbi."

She woke up slightly disoriented, "Hey, hey. It's me, it's just me," Clint whispered as he caressed her cheek.

She swallowed hard and shut her eyes in embarrassment, "I'm sorry."

He brushed her bangs away from her face and kissed her forehead, "What for? Do you want to talk about it?"

Bobbi shook her head adamantly, but Clint insisted, "Don't close me out."

She lifted her hand to massage her temple before she spoke, "He killed her." Her voice sounded weak and Clint immediately hated whoever _he_ was.

"Who?" Clint shifted to have his arm support his head. He laced his free hand with hers and gently kissed her knuckles.

"Sallis. He killed my professor from grad school because I made contact with her. I just wanted to talk to someone, you know?" she looked to him for assurance.

"Yeah, I know. Tired of keeping things bottled up, so you wanted an outlet," he understood and she brought up their joined hands to kiss his. She needed him as much as he did her.

"He called her an unnecessary distraction," she said as he tightened the hold on his hand, "You're an unnecessary distraction."

"I'm a very handsome distraction," he replied lightheartedly and she rolled her eyes at him.

He nudged her to stare at him and his tone grew more serious, "We both want this. Otherwise, I would be sleeping over there," he gestured to the empty cot a few feet away, "I'm involved now. You jump, I jump, right?"

Bobbi snorted, "Did you just quote _Titanic_?"

"I will neither confirm nor deny," Clint chuckled as he leaned in to kiss her, "Seriously, though. We take the plunge together, right?"

Bobbi saw the look of sincerity in his eyes and she hesitated slightly before she finally nodded, "Sallis can go and suck it."

"That's my girl," he said proudly and pulled her against him before he eventually fell asleep.

But, despite Clint's calming words, Bobbi stayed awake for the rest of the night.


	8. Chapter 8: Foiled Plans

**Summary**: Bobbi Morse has been recruited as a researcher for S.H.I.E.L.D. and when her life is threatened by A.I.M. a certain Avenger is assigned the task to protect her.

**Author's Note**: Apologies for the long wait! I promise the next (and last) chapter won't take as long (and will be a bit longer than this one) since I'm currently working on that one. As a reminder, I'm not following what has been done in the comics, but I am taking a few elements and molding them together for myself. Enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review! Reviews are a giant motivator!

* * *

Bobbi encased the artificial findings and notes in a metal briefcase. She brushed her hands around the smooth edges and locked it with a combination. She stepped away to look at it from a small distance and approached the briefcase again to unlock it. She opened it and bit her lip in frustration.

"You can keep doing that, but I'm pretty sure the contents of the case are safe," Clint said as he observed her from across the table with a laptop set up in front of him.

Bobbi sighed, "I know, it's just presentation. I'm already going in with fake results. The least I can do is make it look official. What do you think?" she said as she turned it around. He sat up from his chair slightly and looked into the briefcase.

He saw a folder strapped to the back of the briefcase and a vial encased in a clear box. Clint tried not to laugh. He enjoyed the fact that she was over-analyzing what was probably the least important aspect of the mission. She needed to keep her head focused on the grand scheme and not the way the contents of the briefcase were positioned. _Scientists_, he mumbled in the back of his mind. He can only imagine how they'd approach a PowerPoint presentation.

"There's no PowerPoint presentation involved, is there?" Bobbi rolled her eyes and turned the case back to her. Clint chuckled and closed the laptop.

"Bobbi, the case looks fine. Everything is fine. I'll take the roof on your word, and Coulson and company will infiltrate on my word. Got it?" he said as he walked around the table and stood beside her. She locked the case once more and pushed it away slightly.

"I got it long before you did, Barton. I came up with the plan, remember?" Bobbi smirked. Clint matched her expression and gradually leaned into her neck. He kissed it gently as he made her lean her back against the table.

"Barton? Are we back to last names or something? 'Cause that's not what you called me last night," he said as he kissed her jaw, "Or, the night before that," he continued up her cheek, "Or, this morning, actually." He finally made contact with her lips. Bobbi smiled against him and casually ran her hands through his hair. He held her firmly against the table and one hand slipped underneath her shirt. His cool hand made her pull back and she shivered slightly.

She hopped on the lab table and pulled him closer between her legs, "Do you plan to make this a routine activity?"

"I didn't hear anything any complaining. All I heard was moaning, heavy breathing and 'Clint, you're such a sexy beast. Take me now!'" Clint replied in a high-pitched voice and Bobbi nudged his head to the side with her hand.

"I do not sound like that and I'm pretty sure _you_ said that," she laughed and hunched slightly to kiss him again.

He paused from the kiss, "It's your word against mine. I have higher clearance, _remember_?" he mocked her earlier comment. She was about to reply with another sarcastic remark, but a phone rang off in her pocket. Clint's smirk disappeared as she pulled her phone out.

"Now or never," he muttered as he stepped back and allowed her to hop off the table. She took a deep breath before the answered the phone.

"Morse," Bobbi said as she took a few steps away from Clint and mindlessly walked towards the back of the warehouse. Clint watched her go and went over to assemble his weaponry. There was a long pause from the other end before she turned around to see Clint pull out his bow and arrows for their first mission together.

She waited until she heard a click followed by Sallis' voice, "Barbara, I hope you have everything arranged for today."

His voice sounded as cold as usual and she nodded, "Of course, the serum and my notes are ready for transportation. I wouldn't want to mess things up for you."

There was a short pause before he spoke, "No, of course not. Then again, I'm sure your S.H.I.E.L.D. friend is also getting ready, correct?"

Bobbi's ears turned read and she quickly responded, "S.H.I.E.L.D. is not involved in our operation. I can assure you-" she heard a beep go off on her phone. She had an incoming message and pulled it up on the screen. It was a picture of Bobbi and Clint standing by the fire in the back of the warehouse. Her heart dropped and she quickly thought up an excuse, but he spoke first, "You didn't think I wouldn't keep my eyes on you, did you? I have to admit that S.H.I.E.L.D. has amped up their security since the audio surveillance proved fruitless. I can't tell what you're up to in there, which might be good for you and bad for me."

Bobbi swallowed hard and kept her composure so as to not alert Clint, "Sallis, he's nothing. He's Fury's lapdog sent to watch over me, but he's completely unaware of my allegiance. I promise you."

"The desperation in your voice suggests otherwise," Sallis callously replied, "Since you're carelessly throwing out promises lately, am I to believe that the serum is also an empty promise?"

"I've worked hard to get to where I am at with that serum and I don't appreciate being called a liar," she spat out and inwardly hoped that this lie would mask the others.

Sallis sighed, "What am I going to do with you, Barbara?" he asked rhetorically and then there was another short pause, "Carry on as you would have. Transport the serum to our _second_ location and don't try anything funny. Expect security to be extra rigorous upon your arrival. Oh, and I need you to do something else."

Bobbi listened intently, "Terminate your S.H.I.E.L.D. friend or I will." The line went dead. She looked up to see Clint on the floor attaching different arrowheads to his arrows and securing them to his quiver. She had to think and she had to think fast.

"Hey, so what's the word?" he asked as she approached him.

"Everything's going according to schedule," she responded casually and bent down to observe the variety of arrowheads on the floor, "So, all of these do something different?"

"Yup. This one explodes, that one has liquid nitrogen, this one puts people to sleep and this one releases an electrical charge. Good stuff," he smiled up at her and he reminded her of a kid polishing his marble collection.

"I still can't believe these are all custom made by you," she said as she stood up and ruffled his hair.

"Handsome and smart. Every woman's dream," he winked at her.

She shook her head, "You know, I also built something for myself, but never found the situation to use them."

Clint left his material on the floor and followed her to her table. She pulled out a box from underneath and revealed two devices for her forearms. She strapped them on and in one swift move she removed a metal rod from each arm. He stood back slightly as she twirled them and then joined them to create a staff.

"Do they burst into flames, too?" Clint remarked even though he was quite impressed with her invention.

Bobbi tightened her grip around the staff, "Funny," she muttered and spun the staff around so fast that Clint landed back on the floor with a confused expression on his face. His hand went up to his jaw, where she had made contact with her staff.

"What the hell, Bobbi?!" he shouted as he looked up at her. She swung again, but he dodged her attack. He scrambled up and swiftly evaded her swings and jabs. He caught the staff underneath his arm and held it firmly in his hands, while she held on to the other end.

He clenched his jaw, "Mind telling me why my girlfriend decided to go psycho on me?"

"Change of plans!" she replied before she lower kicked him on to the floor. He fell back with a grunt, but he swiftly mimicked her move and also sent her to the floor. She landed near his arrowheads, which trembled slightly from the commotion. He turned her over on the cement floor and held her arms together as she struggled against his hold.

"Bobbi, stop!" he took a few moments to breathe. He imagined the worst in his mind and voiced his concerns, "Have you been lying to us this whole time? Lying to me?"

She blew her hair out of the way and rested her face against the cool cement, "No. I still want to take down A.I.M. I was just trying to take you out of the equation."

Clint sighed in relief, "Bobbi, I've been doing this for more than half my life. I can handle a routine mission."

"You don't understand. Sallis knows about you...about us. He has a hit on you," Bobbi whispered.

"So, what? You wanted to take me out before anyone else did?" he replied, his grip still firm on her arms.

"I wanted to render you unconscious and use your arrowhead to put you to sleep. Without you, Coulson and his team won't get the word to walk in to a massive trap." He let her go and sat back down on the floor. She pushed herself up and sat up in front of him, "I didn't meant to hurt you, sport. I just wanted to handle it myself without any casualties. Too many people have died on my account."

"Bobbi," his rasped voice forced her to look up at him, "We all signed up for this job knowing the implications. If you put your life on the line, why shouldn't I?" Bobbi nodded in understanding. He stood up and pulled her up with him.

Clint straightened out her hair before he leaned down and kissed her. He groaned slightly, "Ouch, my jaw. I hate your stupid staff."

She laughed lightly, "Don't be such a baby."

He smirked as he stepped over to the arrowheads and inserted them into the bottom compartment of his quiver, "So, what's the new plan?"

Bobbi looked down at the object in her hand and shrugged, "My plan hasn't changed."

Clint suddenly noticed an arrowhead missing, "My sleeping dart," he muttered before Bobbi inserted the syringe from the arrowhead into his arm.

The dose from the syringe quickly took effect and his eyes began to feel heavy as he fell back. Bobbi caught him and held onto him as he drifted, "I snatched it before you restrained me. I'm sorry, but this is something that I have to do on my own."

He fought to stay awake and slurred out her name before he lost consciousness.

Bobbi had no time to waste. She needed to convince Sallis that she was on his side, but without leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. in the dark. She dragged one of the cots over and heaved Clint onto it, "You're heavy, sport." She pushed the cot to the freight container with the bathroom and positioned him inside. She also moved his equipment and some of her possessions in with him. She bent down to his sleeping form and kissed him on the lips, "For good luck," she said to herself as she slipped a note into his pocket.

She took some of the C4 explosions from his bag and strategically put them around the warehouse. She grabbed the metal briefcase and took one last look at the freight container with Clint before she left the warehouse. Bobbi hailed a taxi and gave the driver the directions to her division's second location. As soon as they cleared the area, she pulled out the detonator from her pocket. She closed her eyes before she pushed the trigger. The warehouse went up in flames.

The taxi dropped her off in the outer edges of the Bronx. She walked down a desolate street flanked by industrial buildings when she finally found her destination. The building was absolutely ordinary with large welcoming windows, an employee's parking lot and a guest lobby to boot. She presented her ID at the desk and a hand scanner shot up from the corner of the desk. She inserted her hand and waited a few seconds before she was granted access.

"What happened to rigorous security?" she muttered to the worker at the desk.

Bobbi walked up to the elevator and stepped inside. She punched in her authorization code on the panel and the wall behind her opened up into another facility. She was greeted by several men with guns aimed at her, "That answers my question," she said as she stepped out and the wall to the elevator closed behind her. She expected the guards to lower their weapons. She did not expect to be knocked unconscious on the head.

Bobbi woke with a searing headache. The light above blinded her, but she noticed she was in a lab similar to the one she had back in S.H.I.E.L.D. It spanned the length of the entire building and she noticed metal railings and overheads with guards at attention at each corner. She saw a massive container unit at the end of the lab with steam emanating from a new A.I.M. project, no doubt. She looked down and saw her arms strapped to a chair. Bobbi felt an odd sensation on her upper lip and puckered them slightly to see dried blood. She winced at the pain that shot up her nose and into her head.

"You remember this, don't you?" she heard from behind and suddenly the light was turned away from her. A hand shot out around her and it held a tiny transparent capsule with an internal wiring system and computer chip.

"A micro-stimulator," she answered and she slammed her head against the chair, "Y-you put a micro-stimulator in my head?" she cried out.

"How else are you supposed to answer questions truthfully?" Sallis replied as he came around the chair.

"I killed him alright! I blew up the warehouse to cover the evidence. I brought you the serum. I made no contact with S.H.I.E.L.D. at all. What more do you want from me?"

"Your undivided attention," another voice spoke out behind her. A voice she had not heard since her days in graduate school.

She heard heels walk slowly around her chair. Bobbi's eyes welled up in tears as her professor, Dr. Wilma Calvin, appeared before her.

"You're dead," Bobbi murmured, "How?"

"I'm the Director of this division, Bobbi. I needed to do what had to be done," Wilma replied calmly.

Bobbi's mind ached and she rested her head against the chair, "You bitch."

Wilma flinched slightly and directed her gaze to the floor. "I trusted you, "Bobbi continued, "You were my mentor, but all you wanted was this stupid serum? For what? So you can create an army of super soldiers to follow your every whim? Create monsters that terrorize innocent people? There was only one super soldier and I wish he was alive to kick your asses right now."

Wilma scratched her throat out loud, "Are you done?"

Bobbi suddenly started to laugh, "Am I done?" she said as she continued to laugh.

"Might I ask what is so funny?" Sallis crossed his arms.

"I just had a mental image of you both rotting away in jail because once S.H.I.E.L.D. gets here, you'll be sorry you recruited me in the first place."

"You told her about our third location?" Wilma hissed at Sallis, but he merely shook his head with a slight grin on his face.

"Third location?" Bobbi muttered and struggled against her restraints, "Where the hell am I?"

Sallis bent down to eye level and shrugged, "Some place S.H.I.E.L.D. won't find you," he said as he pressed a trigger in his hand and Bobbi burst out screaming from the searing pain in her head.


	9. Chapter 9: Comeuppance

**Summary**: Bobbi Morse has been recruited as a researcher for S.H.I.E.L.D. and when her life is threatened by A.I.M. a certain Avenger is assigned the task to protect her.

**Author's Note**: This is the last chapter before the epilogue. I hope you have all enjoyed this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it! Let me know what you all think!

* * *

Clint woke up with a start. He slouched over the toilet and water from the sink sprayed out in his direction. He rubbed the sleep away from his eyes and attempted to shut the water off, but the pipe was broken. The light flickered above him, but he caught sight of his things huddled by the shower in the corner. He caught the faint smell of smoke and tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. He slammed on it in frustration, "Bobbi!" he called out. He heard metal falling in the distance.

"This is not good," he muttered and walked over to his stuff. He took a moment to look down at his watch. An hour had passed by since Bobbi had drugged him. A thousand questions floated through his mind: w_here was Bobbi, was Bobbi okay, why did she do this, did S.H.I.E.L.D. know his position, did his next Netflix DVD arrive in the mail_...He rifled through his duffel bag to find anything that would help him out of his current situation when he heard static crackle nearby. His walkies. He turned the duffel upside down and discarded everything onto the floor until he found the device.

He pushed the button to talk, "Hello? Can anyone hear me?" He switched the channels, but only heard static from the other end. He slammed it a few times before a voice filtered through one of the channels.

"Ag— Co—son, can y— rea- me, o-er?" Clint heard and laughed at his luck.

"Coulson, this is Barton. You sound like a broken record, but I hear you," he replied and headed towards the door for better reception.

"Barton, whe— are you?" Clint heard metal falling again in the distance. S.H.I.E.L.D. must be searching the rubble for answers.

"I'm in the bathroom, but give me a few minutes, I'm indecent and not ready to receive," he responded humorously despite the situation he found himself in.

He stepped closer to the door when he heard a sharp hissing sound penetrate the center of the freight container. An orange circle of melted metal appeared and the piece fell down to the floor. A ray of light beamed into the container and Coulson stuck his head in, "Is everything a joke to you?" he said as Clint walked up to him.

"Come on, Phil. Death likes to joke around with you every once in a while, you might as well just joke back. I play poker with her every Thursday if you want to come by and share a few laughs," he said as a rope ladder was tossed down to him. He first retrieved his bow and quiver and made his way up on top of the freighter. The site was completely demolished with the metal walls bent back wildly and the collapsed roof in front of them. He could make out the area where Bobbi's lab tables once stood. He unclenched his jaw and turned back to Coulson.

"Where's Morse?" Phil asked as if he expected her to show up after Clint.

"She's gone AWOL. Sallis knew she was up to something and smoked her out. She decided to handle things on her own and used one of my arrowheads to put me out for the past hour," Clint informed him and rubbed his eyes in an attempt to block out the burned out scenery. He needed to put himself in her shoes and try to figure out what her next step would have been.

"What's this?" Coulson pointed to Clint's vest pocket. A piece of paper stuck out and Coulson removed it. For a second Clint thought it was a condom and he really didn't want to discuss that aspect of his life with him right now, but it was just a piece of notepaper with Bobbi's handwriting on it. Clint snatched it back and read it out loud.

"Sorry, sport. I wanted to gain Sallis' confidence, so I set up your 'death' to do it. My other plan involved you waiting here patiently for my signal, but patience isn't your strong suit," Coulson chuckled lightly and Clint eyed him sternly before he continued, "Look for me at the second location: End of Brush Avenue in the Bronx headed towards Queens." _Love, Bobbi_. He kept that part to himself and his chest tightened slightly at the idea of her in enemy territory without backup.

Coulson communicated new orders to the location she suggested, but Clint grabbed his walkie and called them back. Coulson gave him a confused look before Clint clarified, "She was right about one thing she told me earlier and that was sending in our men into a trap. I have a way to confirm whether she's there or not."

Clint dove back into the freight container and rummaged through the contents on the floor.

_Clint admired her as she continued to explain herself, "I didn't mean to hurt you, sport. I just wanted to handle it myself without any casualties. Too many people have died on my account."_

_He breathed out her name and she looked at him with those blue sapphires he'd come to love waking up to in the mornings, "We all signed up for this job knowing the implications. If you put your life on the line, why shouldn't I?"_

_He stood up and swiftly removed a piece of translucent material from his pocket. He wasn't stupid or deaf. The sound amplifier Coulson gave him before he left two weeks ago rested securely in his ear and allowed him to hear her half of the conversation when she spoke to Sallis. Fury trusted him to keep tabs on her at all times even if Clint trusted her. Regardless, it was the reason he followed her outside the day she took her phone call by the river. Before she finished her conversation, he pocketed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s latest tracking device, which resembled a translucent sticker. _

_Clint's backside ached slightly as he pulled her up. He straightened her hair and even though he only knew her for a short time, he knew she was stubborn enough to go her own way despite what he said. He leaned down and kissed her, but he didn't kiss her to just put the tracer. He kissed her because he wanted to; because he didn't know where they would end up by the end of the day. His hand caressed her cheek before it slipped behind her hair and attached the tracer to the base of her neck._

_He groaned slightly, "Ouch, my jaw. I hate your stupid staff."_

_She laughed lightly, "Don't be such a baby."_

Clint tossed every thing aside in frustration, "Where is it!?" he growled and for a moment he feared that he may have lost it in the wreckage outside. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His thoughts drifted to Bobbi asleep in his arms and how he wanted to end the day exactly the same way. He suddenly clapped his hands together and pointed his finger to the box that stored his game console and other various possessions. He rifled through it and pulled out the _Clue_ game board. After their last game, he hid it inside the confidential folder because he originally found the idea humorous to hide something important in the small confidential folder. He kicked himself for having the mind of a five year old and finally pulled out a USB flashdrive. He climbed his way back out of the freight container and handed it over to Coulson.

"This has the program to trace her. Confirm whether she is at the second location and it should also tell you her vitals," he said as he swallowed hard and mentally imagined the worst. He brushed his hands through his hair and turned away from Coulson, who had hand signaled one of his men to give him a portable computer.

Coulson plugged in the flashdrive and waited for the program to load. Clint rolled his eyes and sighed, "For crying out loud, she's been gone for over an hour now! Can this thing go a bit faster?"

"And you wonder why she drugged you in the first place? We'll find her. Have a little faith," Coulson replied nonchalantly. He turned his attention back to the screen and watched the program start up, "You fell for her, didn't you?"

Clint remained silent as Coulson maneuvered through the menu and finally pulled up her location, "Her vitals are stable, but you're right. She's not at the directions she wrote down. She's in lower Manhattan."

"Manhattan it is," Clint replied as he jumped off the freighter. Coulson communicated his orders out to the men around the perimeter and watched as Clint headed off on his own.

_Yup. He fell pretty hard_.

Bobbi's throat ached from the screaming. Her head throbbed from the effects of the micro-stimulator. Her nose continued to bleed out onto her shirt and she honestly didn't know how much longer she would last.

"That's enough," Wilma spoke out and took the trigger away from Sallis.

"She hasn't told us anything about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s latest developments and projects. What's the point of inserting an interrogation device if we're not going to use it?" Sallis countered as he grabbed Bobbi's chin and stared at her intently.

"It won't do us any good if she's dead either," she replied and Sallis shoved Bobbi's head to the side in defeat.

Bobbi swallowed hard and her throat ached as she spoke, "What does it matter? The micro-stimulator will kill me regardless of whether you push that trigger or not, right? How much time do I have left?"

Wilma sighed, "30 minutes. But, we can deactivate it if you comply with us, Barbara. That's all you have to do."

Bobbi remained silent. Wilma stared at her and bit her lip in thought before she spoke, "Remove her restraints."

Sallis eyed Wilma cautiously, "You may want to reconsider your request."

"She was a friend and I still want to treat her as one. Remove her restraints," she ordered once more and Sallis summoned one of the guards to stand nearby at attention. He removed the restraints and Bobbi quickly buried her head in her hands. She massaged her temples and forehead, but the remnants of the pain persisted.

Wilma placed the trigger on top of the table behind her and instead opened the metal briefcase beside it. She pulled out the clear container with the serum and passed it to Sallis. She then pulled out the folder and flipped through Bobbi's notes, "Wonderful presentation," she said as she approached Bobbi.

"You should see my PowerPoints," Bobbi chuckled as she remembered Clint's earlier comment.

Wilma stepped closer and looked down at her, "The serum works?"

"The results from the blood work were conclusive," Bobbi didn't flinch as she stuck to her story.

Wilma tossed the notes back onto the table, "Good. So, you won't mind if we try it on you as our first human test subject?"

Bobbi remained still as Sallis rifled through a nearby cabinet and pulled out a syringe. He uncased the serum, inserted the syringe through the center of the top and began to extract the serum into the syringe. Wilma stuck out her hand and Sallis passed on the syringe to her.

She squeezed slightly and excreted some of it out into the air before she spoke, "Bobbi, what is it that you want to do with your life? You had no idea what you wanted to do the day you graduated, remember?"

Bobbi continued to keep her eyes closed to stop her world from spinning as she remembered that day. She had no idea what she wanted to do, but she was sure now. Bobbi swiftly snatched the syringe from her hand and held Wilma tight by the neck as she used her as shield. She opened her eyes and saw the guards with their guns aimed at her. Sallis made a move for the trigger on the table and Bobbi stopped him, "One more move and I swear I will stick her with this, and we'll find out whether it works or not." He stopped and Bobbi made sure she stayed clear from the line of sight from the guards even though the room spun around in circles.

"You know what I want to do, Dr. Calvin," she replied as she gradually stepped back, "I first want to thank you because without you I wouldn't have been introduced to S.H.I.E.L.D." Her mind momentarily flashed to thoughts of Clint back in the warehouse, "As for my long term goals, I want to stop people like you. So, be a good mentor and tell your men to put down their guns."

Wilma remained silent, but Bobbi tightened her grip around her neck and she conceded, "Everyone put your weapons down. That's a direct order."

Bobbi watched the guards toss the weapons aside. Her mind worked quick as she tried to play the rest of her plan by ear, but two men broke through the double doors nearby and disturbed the tension in the room. Shattered glass flew across the floor and the two men continued to wrestle with each other.

"Clint?!" Bobbi shouted, wide-eyed that he found her. He knocked the lights out of the guard from the hallway and stood up to stretch out his back.

He stopped when he realized all of the other guards around the lab, "Am I too late for the party?" He said before he swiftly picked up his bow and shot two men down before the rest could gather up their guns. Wilma elbowed Bobbi in the stomach and reversed positions with her. Shots went off around the room and Bobbi spotted Clint shielding himself behind one of the lab tables. She stomped on Wilma's foot and back kicked her onto the floor. Bobbi was about to render her unconscious when she felt the searing pain in her head again. Sallis approached her with the trigger in his hand. She mustered enough strength to toss the syringe across the room and it landed on the metal overhead that led to the steaming vat.

"You could have had my position one day," Sallis said as he kneeled down to her squirming body on the floor, "We could have taken over A.I.M. together."

An arrow pierced his hand and he dropped the trigger as he screamed out in pain. "She already has me," Clint said as punched him across the face.

Clint dropped to the floor and grabbed Bobbi by the arms, "What the hell were you thinking?!" Clint shouted as he brushed her hair away from her face. He wiped the blood off her nose and scanned her up and down to see if she was hurt anywhere else.

"Bobbi-" he started to reprimand her again before she interrupted him and pulled him into a hug. He held her tight despite how angry he was with the situation. She pulled back and her eyes lit up, "I drive you crazy, remember?"

"Yeah," he nodded as he ran his hands through her hair, "You most certainly do. Just don't do this again, okay? Without me, don't do it again," he pleaded and kissed her lightly on her forehead.

"How romantic," Wilma commented behind them as she held a handgun their way. Bobbi and Clint pulled back from their hug and stood up slowly with their hands behind their heads.

"I see you disarmed all my men," she spoke to Clint and glanced quickly around the room to see arrows strewn across their bodies, "A.I.M. could use someone like you."

Clint smirked, "I already have a paycheck. But, I am willing to negotiate if I can get Christmas off. Oh, and Easter. Gotta have Easter. Is your dental plan any good?"

Wilma grinned and pointed her gun at him, "Does he ever shut up?"

It was Bobbi's turn to smirk, "I can't find the off button."

Clint shrugged his shoulders, "It's one of my endearing charms. But, enough about me and my awesome qualities, are you going to stand there and point that gun at us all day or what?"

Wilma stepped over to Sallis and nudged him on the shoulder with her foot. He stirred slightly and Wilma slightly bent down to nudge him awake, her gun still trained on Bobbi and Clint. She removed the arrow from his hand without hesitation and he yelled out in pain.

"If that doesn't wake him up, I don't know what will," Clint muttered under his breath.

Sallis sat up and Wilma took off her blazer jacket carefully before she tossed it to him, "Wrap your hand up and take our dear Bobbi to the overhead."

Clint took a step forward, but Wilma shot the floor in front of him, "Don't play games with me, Robin Hood. Barbara tossed the serum across the room. I saw her do it and she's still my first test subject. Now, go."

Sallis got up and grabbed Bobbi forcefully by the arm, "I thought I was still your friend," Bobbi spat out as they walked up the metal staircase along the wall.

"Friendships come and go," Wilma replied and focused her gun on Clint.

Sallis pushed her along the overhead until they spotted the syringe. The smell from the vat nearby made her cringe, "What is that?"

"Swamp water. Apparently, it has some unique properties, but that doesn't concern you anymore," he said as he pushed her out of the way and grabbed the syringe. Sallis grabbed her arm and Clint made a move for an arrow in his quiver.

Wilma stepped closer and nudged the side of his head with the gun, "What part of this situation do you not understand?"

"The part where you think you come out on top," Clint replied and deflected her arm to the side. He grabbed her arm underneath his and pointed the gun at Sallis, but the shot missed. Bobbi removed her arm before the syringe made contact and twisted his hand back at him.

"How about you try a taste of your own medicine?" Bobbi struggled against him along the metal railing until they reached the vat with the swamp water. She knocked her head against his and, although she saw the stars, she plunged the syringe into his neck. She fell back onto the overhead and watched as the serum coursed through his veins. He struggled to breathe and started to bleed out from his nose. Sallis collapsed onto the space beside her, but pursued her regardless. She swiftly kicked him back and toppled over the edge of the overhead and into the vat of swamp water. Bobbi heard another gun shot go off. She turned and saw Wilma crumple to the ground. Bobbi sighed in relief and made her way back down from the overhead. Clint met her halfway and pulled her into another embrace.

"Where's Coulson and the rest of the team? How did you find me?" Bobbi breathed out into his neck.

"Scattered throughout the building and apprehending A.I.M. employees," he responded with a kiss to her shoulder and removed the tracer from the back of her neck, "I know you all too well, Bobbi Morse. Now, let's get out of here before something else happens."

He regretted his words the moment they escaped his mouth. The metal railing shook violently and the container unit attached to it cracked in half. The swamp water rushed out of the container and flooded the floor of the lab. Another violent shake and the wall of the container fell apart. Clint let go of her hand and armed his bow as they silently walked down to ground level. The steam finally dissipated and Bobbi gasped at the creature inside it.

"What the hell is that _thing_?" Clint whispered as he pulled back an arrow. From the vat emerged a monster, over ten feet tall and completely covered in moss. The veins on its muscles pulsated erratically and the claws on its hands glistened under the laboratory lights.

"It's Sallis. The serum in combination with the properties of the swamp water must have done this," she whispered back.

"Yeah, well, this man...thing is not easy on the eyes. Any plans?" Clint replied, but Bobbi suddenly burst out in pain and the creature focused its attention on them. Clint sent his arrow flying and it exploded upon impact. He turned to see Bobbi squirming on the floor.

"Wi-Wilma," she strained out and Clint looked back to see Wilma semi-conscious on top of a pool of her own blood with the trigger in her hand.

"Don't you people ever die!" Clint said as he drew another arrow and aimed it her, but the morphed version of Sallis stretched out his arm and grabbed Clint before he could finish her off.

Bobbi crawled her way over to the gun Clint had dropped earlier, "It di-didn't ha-ave to e-end thi-is way," Bobbi struggled to say as she aimed the gun at her.

"I hoped that one you'd learn that what we did here was to better humanity as a whole," Wilma muttered and paused to cough. She let go of the trigger before she continued, "But, you only have ten minutes."

Bobbi sat up once the pain died off, "You lost your humanity a long time ago," she replied and looked over to see S.H.I.E.L.D. agents surround Sallis, "And I don't need ten minutes to do this." Bobbi aimed her gun and pulled the trigger without hesitation. She ducked down slightly when she heard a large crash and the floor shook violently. She turned to see a gaping hole on the wall on the other side of the lab. Sallis had escaped. Clint ordered the men back to the vehicles outside to track him. After everyone cleared out of the lab, he made his way over to Bobbi.

He took the gun away from her and helped her up to her feet, "What happened to you back there?" he asked, his voice laced with concern as he wiped the blood from her nose. Bobbi stepped to the side and began to rifle through the cabinets and drawers.

"Babe, what are you doing?" Clint asks as she continued to rummage through the lab's cupboards.

"Sallis-" she started to say, but winced in pain when a pang shot across her forehead. She was running out of time. He went to hold her up, absolutely confused about her condition.

"What did he do to you?" Clint emphasized each word as he brushed her hair back.

She groaned and went back to finding the one thing that could save her life, "A defibrillator. Sallis put a micro-stimulator and it's set on a countdown!" she screamed out in pain.

"A micro-sti—That thing you told me about in your lab? What is it counting down to?!" Clint yelled back since he felt helpless.

"My death! If I don't find a defibrillator to short circuit the chip inside the stimulator, I'm going to die!"

Clint didn't ask anymore questions as he also flipped over drawers and shelves, but there was no sign of a defibrillator. He heard a crash behind him and Bobbi collapsed to the floor. He ran over to her and shook his head as he gathered her up into his arms, "This isn't happening."

Bobbi lifted her hands to her head and she closed her eyes in pain, "God, make it stop!" she cried out. She opened her eyes and her vision started to blur. She looked up at him and grabbed his face in her hands. She saw him angry, happy, satisfied, confused, concerned, but she never saw him cry before.

She tried to remember the smug expression he wore earlier that morning when she complimented his arrowheads. His arrowheads. "Your arrow with the electric charge, do you have it?" He nodded and used his hand device to rotate the arrow heads before he pulled it out of the quiver.

"Can you change the voltage setting?"

"Bobbi, what—"

"Change it to the highest setting. Do it!" she yelled at him before she quickly apologized. He opened the arrowhead and proceeded to do as she asked. Once he was done, he attached it back.

"Stab me with it," she said bluntly and he shook his head. He moved his hand away, but she grabbed it and held it to her chest.

"Sport, please!" she wailed out in pain again, "Trust me. Just be ready to bring me back." He moved back hesitantly and swallowed hard before he stabbed her on the shoulder. The contact of the arrow sent an electrical charge high enough to cause the micro-stimulator to short circuit. But, the high voltage also stopped her heart.

Once the charge stopped, he pulled the arrow out and proceeded to give her mouth to mouth, "Come on, Birdie," he repeated every time he did counts on her chest.

She remained lifeless, but Clint continued to resuscitate her, "We just started!" he yelled out. He dove down to give her more air and he repeated his actions once more. He paused to kiss her on the lips, "I need you to wake up," he mumbled and continued to count his chest compressions. He leaned down to her mouth again when she finally regained consciousness again.

She gasped and she looked around at her surroundings, slightly disoriented from the shock. When her eyes focused, she saw Clint beside her and tackled him into a hug.

He embraced her firmly and brought her onto his lap. He pulled back slightly, "Two things you won't ever do again: go on suicide missions and die. No more dying. Do you hear me?" he exclaimed as he held her face close to his. She flashed him a smile and confirmed with a nod. He kissed her fully on the lips and held her closer than before.

A/N: Epilogue next!


End file.
